When Angels Lost Their Wings
by XenoMark
Summary: *co-written with Crystal* A war has been brewing between the Oniwaban and Sanada clans for so long, and at long last, the war will soon end. *Shoujo-ai, A+M in later chapters, no flames plz*
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Neither Crystal nor XenoMark own Rurouni Kenshin, they're simply borrowing their characters for their own entertainment. XenoMark does however, own Shion, Mina, and any other characters never heard seen, or heard of, in the anime, manga, or movie.

  
  


XenoMark's Note: Welcome to "When Angels Lost Their Wings: The Crimson String Side Story." For those of you unfamiliar with my other fic, "Crimson String," don't worry, it's not really necessary to read that one to understand the events going on in this fic as there will be flashbacks in this fic. This fic also crosses over with "Crimson String Book II: A Rurouni's Path" as both stories exist on the same time line. If you wish to learn the entire story, you'll want to read that fic too. Aoshi, Misao, and the rest of the Oniwaban-shu will appear a bit later in this fic, so be patient. Other then that, let me warn you readers that this fic is Shoujo-Ai (sorry yuri fans, there won't be any lemon in this fic), but other than that, enjoy the story. Anyway, before we begin, I'd like to thank Crystal for helping me with this fic, thanks a bunch, Crystal

  
  


Crystal's Note: Anyways, I don't know what else to say, since XenoMark has said it all already ^^ And I thank you, XenoMark, for letting me work on this fic with you. Anyways, great readings

  
  


Prologue

  
  


(Shion's POV)

  
  


It's been a while since I've last come here. Tokyo, this was once a place I called home, but that was a long time ago. That was a time before chaos was commonplace in this country. The ignorant masses, just watching them live their lives as if the Revolution meant nothing to them, it just sickens me that they believe in the Meiji Government. You must be wondering why I think of the Meiji like this, it's because of what they did to me. I am the yurei who searches for death, Azumi Shion, an ex-hitokiri of the Ishin Shishi.

My life was not always with death, there was once a time when I was a normal person. I was the daughter of a samurai before the Revolution began, I lived in Edo with my parents and younger brother, Kintaro. I also had a loving fiancé named Keisuke, a son of the Suzuka family. We were very much in love, our wedding was to be in April of Western year 1864, however it never came to be. I was fourteen when it all began, Father was called to Kyoto to assist in the war going on over there. He never made it unfortunately, instead he was killed by a group of bandits on his trip to Kyoto. The other samurai families began to turn away from mine, seeing that we were weak because of my father's death. Keisuke was the only one that stayed with me, but even that didn't last for very long. One evening, Keisuke stayed over for the night, the same night the other samurai families decided to take action on mine. They burned my home and killed Keisuke, the Suzuka family had no qualms over killing their own son. My mother and brother went missing after. I wanted revenge for what the samurai did to my family, and there was only one organization that I thought could help me do so.

The Ishin Shishi, the ones who rebelled against the Tokugawa Shogunate, I thought they could help me. I arrived in Kyoto shortly after the disaster, joining the Satsuma Clan upon arrival. I became the Satsuma Clan's hitokiri within days, my skill with the naginata was unmatched. I had been trained in the Akai Chi Naginata Ryu for my entire life, a martial art that uses the very same God-like speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. 

The life of a hitokiri was dark one, I was always bathed in the darkness and in blood. The path to revenge was not an easy one, I would have to walk it alone at first, without Keisuke or my family. That loneliness would soon be lifted with the appearance of another, the one they called Himura Mina, the foster sister of Hitokiri Battousai. I felt conflicted at first about falling for another woman, I tried my best to combat those feelings by trying to push her away. The more I pushed, the more I pulled her toward me, there was always a part of me that wanted her. Eventually, I stopped pushing and began pulling even more, I wanted her to be mine. I offered her my feelings, but she could not return them; she said that her heart belonged to another, it belonged to the man that adopted her, Himura Kenshin, also known as Hitokiri Battousai. It broke my heart that could not have her, but as long as she was happy, I did not care; the two of us were already close friends, that's more than I could ever ask for.

Our friendship was soon tested in the final two years of the war. Mina was separated from her brother during a battle, she was then drafted into the Satsuma Clan. Her separation from her brother made her cold and bitter, she would try her best to push others away from her as I did. Regardless of how much she pushed, I would only be drawn closer, ignoring the abuse of her words. A true test of friendship came on January 5, Western year 1868, Mina was accused of treason and a sentence of death was to be carried out. I was the one to be that executioner, but I had failed my job. I couldn't bear to kill her, to be the one responsible for my love's death, so I spared her. I wonder if that was the best thing to do, because what happened after, was nothing more than a nightmare...

  
  
  
  


(Misanagi's POV)

It's been quite a while since I've been here... Once called Edo, now Tokyo. I wonder how everyone I once knew was doing... I wonder how my childhood friend was doing. At one time of my life, I had been a carefree child, not caring for anything... But that seemed like ages ago. It was ages ago.

I remember my first and only friend, Moko. She had short hair and blue eyes and I remembered spending hours and hours playing with her in the water, with dolls... And I trained with her sometimes, but I was always the better one. The unfortunate thing was, we were always different. I was trained to be a field ninja since I was very young, I was agile and she was not. She was trained as normal women would be. Normal wemon are trained to have their special skills known and then get a husband and breed and take care of kids. We had a lot of differences, but we stayed friends, until I turned twelve.

During my twelfth year, we no longer had anything similar between us. She was interested in being a lady and finding a husband when she got older, and I, I was interested in becoming a leader. A leader for the Sanada Ninjas. It seemed impossible for me at the time, but little did I know, I was wrong. Just two years later, I had become leader...

At the age of fourteen, I had become a leader... A leader for the Sanada Ninjas. It was a week after that I became the leader when I met Hitokiri Kensai... I despised that woman, and I still do. My encounter with Hitokiri Kensai was an absolute nightmare... I hate what she did that night.

It was on January 6, 1868 that I first met Shion. I remember finding her bloody and torn, I remember smelling the blood. I could remember exactly what I was doing that very day. And it was then I carried you back to our hideout, where you stayed there for a month, then left.

I remember the pain in my heart as you left, and I denied the fact that I was attracted to you. But now, I know... I was. I guess I was just denying the fact because I couldn't believe that I liked woman, but I was too afraid to tell you, I was afraid of rejection. How long has it been since I last met you, Shion? Days, months, years...? I can't remember any longer, nor do I want to remember. There's not much things I want to remember any longer. Everything seems to be painful for me, from the memory of the war, to the memory of you, Shion.

Life has been a nightmare for me, but it has always been a nightmare. Life is hard. Most say that whenever there's down, there's up. I, myself think that the statement is wrong. Whenever there's up, there's always down, but when there's down, there isn't always up. I've learned that a long time ago.

I still wonder, Shion, how long it will be till I will meet you again. Maybe soon? Maybe never? And how we will meet... Maybe on the streets one day when we become old ladies... Maybe you will come look for me? I don't know... But... I hope I will meet you soon, because I can't wait to see you again...

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. The Angels Fall

XenoMark's Note: I think I forgot to mention that this fic will be mainly angst, so don't flame us if there's no action or anything, in fact, don't flame us at all. Anyway, this chapter is just an intro to the characters and picks up where we left Shion at the end of "Crimson String Book I."  
  


Crystal's Note: Happy readings  
  


Chapter 1: The Angels Fall  
  


(Shion's POV)

The rain was falling as heavily as ever after my match with Mina, the winds were slicing against my skin and rags. The evening breeze did nothing to cure the wound scratched over my heart, it's very breath only made it sting further. I began to press my fingers against the gap, my skin taking in some of the crimson liquid. It was nice cut that Mina had dealt me, she had improved since the last time I fought her. My hand soon left the cross over my heart, the ruby fluid quickly washing into the ground as it left my chest. My lips were still warm, that brush she placed on my lips, how I treasured it. A curve of a smile stretched onto my face for a mere moment, only to sink after I remembered the grim reality of what I had just done.

'How am I going to explain this to Saigo-sama?' I asked myself.

Lying was easy, but Saigo was one who could see through lies like a hawk finding a rodent in the fields. I could've told him that she got away, but even that would look bad. There was no way that I'd be let go easy on this one, the consequence would be great no matter what I said. Even telling him the truth would be out of the question, the end result would be the same, only now I'd have the Ishin Shishi still hunting Mina down. I had to think of something, but blanks only came into my mind.

Nothing came to me as I entered the forest to the Satsuma Camp, my head still hung low as I came onto it's grounds. My knees were beginning to give out, I was practically dragging my feet at that moment. The very thought of what I was going to tell my comrades was tiring me out, and the wound inflicted on me didn't help either.

A splash of water suddenly caught my attention, slowly pulling my head up to see the source of the splash. It was five soldiers who were waiting for me, smirks stretched across their faces as I turned to them. These men were the other field chiefs other than Tetsu who Mina had killed, I knew them fairly well after killing for the clan for four years. I didn't know what to report to them exactly so I said the first thing that came into mind.

"Mission complete," I told them, almost passing out as I spoke.

"Excellent," one of them said, "but I'm afraid we have no more use for you."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

'No use for me, what exactly do they mean?' I asked myself.

I began to ponder on their words for a moment, trying to find the definition behind them. They said they had no more use for me, I didn't know what they meant at first, but I wish I could've found out sooner.

The next thing I knew, I was forced to the ground, my arms and legs being held down. I knew what these men had in mind at that moment, I could tell by those snickers and simpers that followed after.

"Stop it!" I yelled at the individuals. "Let me go!"

I knew what was going on now, it was just as Tetsu and Mina said, the Ishin Shishi were

killing off their own hitokiries, and now, it would be my turn. A fate worse that death was what they had in store for my execution, a fate that no human being should ever endure.

"Please stop," I begged practically in tears, "stop it!"

I cannot recall what happened exactly, the only way I could shield the terror that had been

unleashed upon me was to close my eyes. It began with the sound of fabric tearing, and then the feel of nails and fingers. Even though darkness had covered my sight, pain still swept through my entire body. Every crevice and inch of my body, there was always something searing my skin. Scratches, pinches, even bites, all of these things found their way onto my body. I remember their chuckles and their laughs, I tried my best to block them with my screams. I wanted someone to help me, anyone. Mina, was it too late for Mina to come and save me? When the pain had subsided, I found my entire being suddenly paralyzed, still blinded by darkness.

"You think she's dead?" I heard one of them ask.

"Thanks to that wound Kensai gave her, I'm pretty sure she died of blood loss in the end," another answered.

Died, far from it. My breathing was heavy, but I could only take in tiny puffs at a time. My arms, legs, and every inch of my form was frozen, I could not move it despite how much I ordered it to. The fresh river of blood from my scar was still trickling down my body, the drops of rain spreading it throughout my entire form.

"So what do we do with her?" the voice of another soon entered my ears.

"Toss her into the river," a fourth voice ordered, "it should be a proper burial compared to the stuff we do to the other bodies."

"I'll take care of it," a fifth voice entered my ears.

My arm suddenly lifted, though without my input. My wrist suddenly began to sear as something began to clamp around it. The ground began slide under my body, rocks and other forms of the earth cutting my body in the process. Darkness had still engulfed my eyes, I could not lift it despite how much I wanted to. Actually, it was probably best not to lift it, I did not want to go through more of what I had already gone through. My body suddenly came to a halt after some time, being lifted into the air moments later. I stood on my feet without any of my own will for only a mere second, only to find it falling forward in the next. The wind began slicing against my body once more, stopping seconds later when a force suddenly crashed against my entire body. My lungs began to fill with a liquid in the next instant, my torso being pushed against another force. That force pushed me up for a moment, giving me a second to catch my breath, only to pull me back in the blink of an eye.

For a long time, liquid and air seemed have exchanged places in filling my lungs, my body dipped up and down in the body of water I was in. I was too tired to swim, my entire body was so sore, I just wanted the river or whatever I was in to drag me into the abyss. That just didn't happen. The next thing I remembered was feeling something against my body, it was a very rough surface. I'm sure it was rock of some sort, but it just didn't matter to me at the time, I thought I was going to die. I soon felt my arms being lifted by something, my feet began dragging against the floor. Arms wrapped underneath my legs after, just as my arms were thrown across what seemed like someone's shoulders. Someone was carrying me, I didn't know who, and I didn't want to know...  
  


(Misanagi's POV)

It was another normal day for me. I was walking with my Sanada Ninjas, patrolling for intruders. Surely, this isn't the most exciting thing in the world. I sighed again. Life was boring.

The sound of the water was relaxing, making me forget things for a while... Things like what happened during the day before Kodomo-No-Hi with Hitokiri Kensai... Things I've wanted to forget for a long time but never seemed to be able to. I felt someone tap on my shoulder and when I turned around, I saw another one of my Sanada Ninjas. He asked me if I was all right and I told him yes. Ah, people that ask those questions should be lied to.

As I got closer and closer to the riverbank, I felt my body stiffen up and my eyes darting from places to places. The smell I seriously hate. Blood. I scanned the whole place for danger and when I found none, I ran towards the smell of blood quickly along with my Sanada Ninjas following me.

There, in the river was a woman... Not in the best condition, I can tell you. Her clothes were torn up and soaked with blood I thought she was dead. Unconscious and barely breathing, I hauled the woman from the river and dragged her to carry her back to our base.

The moment I hauled her from the river, one of my Sanada Ninjas asked why I was going to help her. I frowned at him, a bit. Don't some people know what it is to help other people in need? Obviously not. The blood on her terrifies me a bit, because it reminds me exactly of what happened the day I met Himura Mina, Hitokiri Kensai. I ignored the Sanada Ninjas and asked them to help me to carry the woman back to the base.

"God, just kill me now," I heard and I frowned yet again. So the woman wanted to die... She opened her eyes for a slight second before she fell unconscious again.

For how long, I didn't know. I was walking with someone almost dead in my arms and thinking of things again. Yes, things. The sound of water was becoming fainter and fainter and then, the only sound I heard was my own feet along with my Sanada Ninjas walking on the ground making soft sounds. All of a sudden, I heard a few people, more like a few dozen people come along and I let the woman fall on the ground.

My Sanada Ninjas must've felt something, because the next second, they took out their own weapons and got in position. I saw someone go near the woman and immediately took one of my poison dart and hit him square in the back of both shoulders, he slumped down, lifelessly. Now the fight was starting, I can tell, they were soldiers of the Ishin Shishi.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and elbowed him right in the stomach, "Don't touch me," I growled, while shooting another dart at another person. I knocked the person out and saw that we were getting the upper hand right now. I continued shooting darts, giving elbows, kicks and punches to any Ishin Shishi I saw. To me, they were the bad people... Hitokiri Kensai was in the Ishin Shishi and she was my enemy, therefore, all Ishin Shishi were my enemy.

I gritted my teeth as I saw one of my Sanada Ninja bleed and fall to the ground, hurt. I heard footsteps behind me, running towards me. From the sounds of his steps, it wasn't any ninja and without a second thought, I sent another dart in that person's direction. He fell to the ground immediately and the sword he was holding on fell to the floor noisily. I was getting ready to throw another few dozen of darts when a rifle stopped me. 

"Harboring a criminal is a serious offense to the new government," was what one of the man said, with the rest of them pointing the rifles at us. We were surrounded. Rifles were all around us and there was no chance of escaping. Those rifles were faster than most human beings, probably not as fast as me, but I had my Sanada Ninjas...

Wait, what did they mean by harboring a criminal? I glanced at that woman I had just saved a while ago with the corner of my eyes... Could it be that she, was a criminal? I didn't have time to think because the next second, they were once again aiming at us. 

I snorted, "Well if you plan on shooting us, then do it." 

Useless...  
  


(Shion's POV)

"Ugh...?" the darkness before my eyes began to unveil.

A shimmering metal I knew too well lay before my eyes, as well as the body of an ex-ally, a soldier of the Ishin Shishi. The pain in my body was as strong as ever, but I had to ignore it for the time being. I mustered enough strength to take the blade sitting before me off the ground, using the rest to scout out the area. It didn't take long for me to find a group of my ex-allies, all of them with rifles, pointing them at a small number of individuals in black. One of those individuals just happened to catch my eye, the only female in the group. Hair as brown as chocolate, and eyes of a cinnamon shade, I had seen her once before. It was that woman that Kensai tried to have her way with the day before Kodomo-No-Hi, the leader of the Sanada Ninjas.

"Well if you plan on shooting us, then do it," the shinobi ordered.

"I'd let them go if I were you," I used more strength to speak.

"Hitokiri Shion!" one of them screamed.

Strength had began to return to my system, my legs began pushing forward. Shards of metal began to escape the barrels of their guns, a majority of those barrels pointed at me. Left and right, up and down, there was no way an ordinary person could dodge all those bullets, but I'm no ordinary person. Each of those bullets met nothing but the air or the steel held between my palms.

"Forget the guns," one of them ordered, "just use your swords!"

All of the foreign weapons dropped to the floor in the same instant, just a step before my feet passed them. My blade pressed forward in the next second, plunging into the first man I saw right before he drew his blade. From the corner of my eye, I could see another batch of individuals drawing their swords, there was no time for me to react. Before their blades could touch my flesh, their blades suddenly clattered to the ground. I looked to their backs and found several pieces of metal lodged into each of their backs. The whistle of steel entered my ear again, this time it came from the east. I pushed my feet into the ground after, darting into the heavens a second later, barely avoiding the stab. I brought my sword downward, having it lead my path back to the ground.

"Akai Chi Ryu, Koukougeki!" I screamed.

A geyser of red filled my vision as the metal curve dug into the man's skull, grinding his bone and muscle together. I don't what happened next, but my strength suddenly began to drain from my body once more. Aside from the blast of crimson that clouded my vision, the last thing I saw before passing out was a figure before me, clothed in the same color of darkness and hair shaped like wings.  
  


(Misanagi's POV)

I stared in awe at the woman in front of me that they called a criminal and I watched her cut through the man's skull. Certainly, there weren't many women who were able to do that, except Hitokiri Kensai. A woman with skills like her... I would not be surprised if she was some sort of criminal, but how is she part of the Ishin Shishi? They knew her, that much was certain for they called her name. Hitokiri Shion... Was it? I never heard of the Ishin Shishi killing off their own men at the time, it made me wonder just what was it she did to have them chase after her? That technique she used back there looked familiar as well... It took me a while to figure it out, but I soon realized that it was a similar technique that Hitokiri Kensai used.

'Could it be that she's an associate of Kensai?' I thought to myself.

"Leader?" the voice of one of my followers brought me out of my trance.

"We're taking this woman with us," I informed my men, taking her into my arms once more, "she could become very valuable to us."

Valuable, how very true that was. You would become a valuable part of my clan in the days to come, and even more so, you'd become a very valuable part of my life.  
  


Chapter 1 Liner Notes  
  


What's a "yurei"?- A "yurei" is a tormented soul you'd usually hear about in ghost stories. They basically still have business to deal with in the world of the living. Yurei often wear a white triangle on their head, with one side face up and the other two parallel to their forehead. They also often wear white clothing which is supposed to be their funeral garb. The yurei of folk tales are often victims of murder or suicide, and a majority of these victims are women. Shion believes this role fits her perfectly after what those men did to her, but of course, she's not dead by any means. The incident just really messed up her life as you'll see later on.  
  


What's a "naginata"?- A naginata is a Japanese spear, it's basically a long pole with a curved blade on one end. Some naginatas have two blades, one on each end. Primary users of the naginata are women because the weapon was mainly taught to the women in samurai families.

  
  


What's "Kodomo-No-Hi"?- Kodomo-No-Hi is a holiday in Japan that is celebrated in May 5. It's translated as "Children's Day." A festival is usually held on this day and paper carp are often hung outside houses and stores.

  
  


What was it that Hitokiri Kensai did to Misanagi?- For those who didn't read "Crimson String Book I," Hitokiri Kensai is the alternate persona of Himura Mina, Kenshin's foster sister (an original character I made up like Shion). Mina basically suffers from multiple personality disorder and well, her other persona, Hitokiri Kensai, tried to rape Misanagi. Mina herself isn't a lesbian, but Kensai on the other hand, is. Mina and Kensai are total opposites of one another, although you can easily tell who's in control of Mina's body by looking at the eyes and hair. When the body is wearing a purple ribbon and has lavender eyes, Mina's in control, but when the hair is free and has yellow eyes, Kensai's in control. You can learn more about the two in either "Crimson String" book.  
  


About the Akai Chi Naginata Ryu- This is Shion's technique that was passed down many generations of her family. It is said that both the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu and the Akai Chi Naginata Ryu originated from the same school which is why all the attacks are similar to the other style's and why both styles use God-like speed and the ability to read your opponent's moves. I created this technique for my fics so Mina could be kept in check in terms of ability, giving her a rival. The problem is that Mina never knew if Shion ever used her full power during any of their fights.  
  


Next time: "Day in, day out, everything is the same to me. The world continues to move as I remain where I am. I am in a world where everything passes me by, a world that cannot accept me for who I am and what I have done..." -Azumi Shion  
  


XenoMark's Note: Well, how was it? The chapter may be somewhat short, but things'll get into more detail later on. The real conflict will be introduced in the next chapter, so you can expect to see some action and stuff. Reviews are welcome, but don't flame us, all right?  
  


Crystal's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. My POV might've been too short, but anyways... As XenoMark says, more action later, so yep. Bye


	3. Demons Begin to Rise

XenoMark's Note: Hi, sorry for the long wait, but Crystal's computer has been down for a while. Unfortunately, it's still down, so I had to update without her, but I got her permission to do so before I wrote this chapter. Anyway, I'm afraid I'll have to update this fic without her until she gets her computer fixed. I'm sorry if this upsets you readers. Anyway, in this chapter, Aoshi and Hannya make an appearance, so watch out for it. Oh, and the chapter's slow at first, but give it a bit and then it'll get interesting.  
  


Chapter 2: Demons Begin to Rise  
  


(Shion's POV)  
  


Darkness, the sight that fills my vision, it has been plaguing me ever since I joined the Ishin Shishi. My entire world has always revolved in the shadows, from my days as a hitokiri, to my new life as a yurei, the color of black is always within the midst of my eyes. I remember the first day I became a yurei, my entire being seemed to be floating endlessly. I was on the verge of death, my eyes sealed shut and my ears deaf from the sounds of the mortal realm. Everything felt so cold: the air, my skin, everything. I had been waiting patiently for Death, the ferryman of the Sanzu, waiting in this darkness for who knows how long. A light suddenly began to enter my vision, pulling my eyes away from the darkness. It was so bright, the color of black was being replaced with white. The sound of birds began to fill my ears shortly after, and more colors began to fill my eyes. The white had virtually disappeared in a moment, replaced with the color of straw. Texture soon became apparent in the straw-colored surface before my eyes, each piece of the dry grass slowly came into view. The chirping of the birds soon became more apparent, and suddenly I found myself staring at a ceiling I had never seen before. My head began to tilt up a little, my eyes finding the color of white once more. There was a blanket over me, along with linen wrappings on my arms and other parts of my body. I was alive again, reborn before Death could even take me.

'How?' I thought to myself. 'How am I still alive? Why am I still alive?'

I wanted to ponder over those matters, but suddenly another sound soon filled my ears. It was a shifting noise, it was coming from the other side of the room. Slowly I turned my head to the source, finding another person in the room with me, her back pressing against the room's wall. She was dressed in a black uniform, free of sleeves, and covering down to a few inches below her torso. Gray bandages wrapped around her slender legs and netting covered her thin arms. A V-shaped opening was found on her uniform, starting from her neck to the middle of her chest. The opening was covered in the very same netting as her clothing, it looked rather thin based on how it overlapped her skin. I turned to her face after, the expression it wore looked like the woman was having some kind of pain. Her eyes would shut tighter than they already were every few seconds, her teeth clenching in between. It was obvious she was having a nightmare, but I wasn't sure of what. Her hair was tied in pig tails, they gave the impression of a butterfly's wings a little bit. It was of a dark brown shade, the same color as chocolate. A large silver pin rested on the base of the right pig tail, and a chop stick-like device rested on the base of the other.

A moment after observation, images of what I thought just happened began to reappear. I recall seeing five men I knew somewhat well, all of them staring at me with sinister grins stretched across their faces. My body suddenly began to ache as I began to recall each of them. Their visages were quickly washed away as a splash of crimson entered my vision. After the geyser had subsided, I remember seeing some sort of figure that gave me the impression of a butterfly. The figure's face began to come into vision a moment later. It was the face of the woman I saw sleeping in front of me.

'It's that ninja,' I thought to myself after remembering the events that happened, 'what's she doing here?'

Just as I had asked myself that question, her eyes suddenly opened, her pupils as wide as mochi and a large gasp escaping her lips. Her entire figure shot forward as drops of sweat flew from her face, her body slowly returning to it's previous position a second later. I couldn't help but notice her arms moving to her chest in the form of a cross, her hands taking hold of her breasts as if someone was touching her.

'Slept a little too well,' was my first reaction until I noticed her next action.

Whimpers and sniffles began to escape from her mouth as rivers of tears flowed down her cheeks. She began to scrunch her body in further, the cries growing louder with each inch she moved. I then remembered something else about that woman, I had seen her before, about a year ago. It was the day before Kodomo-No-Hi when I first saw her, she was engaging Mina in combat. They were fighting on top of a roof and Mina's alter ego tried to...

"Naze?" her voice returned me to reality. "Why do I have nightmares of her even now? Hitokiri Kensai, why? Why did you try and take away one of the few things that I haven't dirtied yet?"

She sunk face into her palms after, releasing more whimpers. After a few moments, her head suddenly came back up once more, her eyes now looking into mine. Quickly, she wiped away the remaining contents of her tears, and quickly stood up, trying to brush away her sadness with the straightening of her lips.

"You're finally awake," she said in a calm and collective voice, as if nothing happened a few moments ago.

I didn't know how to react, so out of instinct, I turned my head away. Her hand began reaching for my shoulder, but I pulled myself away at the moment of her touch. Being touched was the last thing I wanted at that time, not after what happened. I didn't care who it was, I just wanted to be left alone.

"Gomen," she apologized as her hand returned to her side. "You've been out for two days since I found you," she changed the subject. "My name is Misanagi," she introduced herself, "leader of the Sanada Ninjas. May I ask who you are?"

Again, I responded with silence. I was scared of her at first to be honest, despite the sincerity in her voice. I was scared of everything at that moment actually, and I'm sure you would be too. First being ravaged by men you thought you knew, then left for dead, and now suddenly awakening in a room with a person you had never really seen before.

"I see...," she broke the moment of silence once more, "I can't blame you for how you are. I suppose I should leave you alone then."

She began to turn away, making her way toward the door. My lips began to move suddenly as her fingers took hold of the shoji door, and my voice escaped my throat as soon as the door began to slide.

"Shi...on," my name barely escaped my lips.

"Hm?" she turned around to face me once more.

"My name... is Azumi Shion," I introduced myself, hesitating as I spoke.

"Shion," she practiced wording my name.

"Leader!" I heard the voice of another suddenly call.

"Excuse me, Shion," Misanagi bowed. "Kaita!" she suddenly called.

"Hai?" a man with a rather bulky face suddenly appeared.

"Can you take care of our guest?" she asked the man.

"Hai," he nodded.

"Shion, Kaita will tend to anything," she told me.

Out of impulse, the grip around my blanket tightened and my body began to jerk back. Men, I had been scared of them at that moment, I couldn't help but feel so dirty whenever I saw them back then, especially with the look on that one. His face was rather bulky, and the rest of his body was rather chiseled. He wore the same uniform as the shinobi leader, except that he wore pants of course. The smell of blood was rather strong on him, yet not as powerful as the scent on her. His pupils were as small as peas, and as dark as a raven's feather. His jet black hair was tied in a high pony tail, but a few strands strayed away from the hair's bind. I remember trying to crawl away, but for some reason, my body wouldn't respond after crawling a few centimeters.

"Don't worry," my grip suddenly loosened with her voice, "Kaita won't do anything to harm you, if I can trust him with my life, I can trust him with yours."

"...ari...ga...tou," I nodded.

Another man dressed in black suddenly appeared after, and Misanagi glanced at him for a second and nodded. The man began running back to where he came from and Misanagi began to follow. Before she could take more than two steps, she turned back to me once more with that monotone expression still on her face. My lips curled for a mere second only to have them straighten once more with the call of the man's voice.

"Leader, come on!"

"Coming!" she responded and quickly returned to her duty.  
  


(Misanagi's POV)  
  


'Why now of all times?' I thought to myself as I headed toward the entrance of our base. 'That woman finally woke up and now...'

It had only been a few weeks ago in the current time of my story that the Ishin Shishi had taken over the government. They called it the "Meiji Government," named after the new emperor they brought to the throne. How I hated those Ishin Shishi bastards, not just because of what Hitokiri Kensai did to me, but also the fact that they overthrew our main employers. During the time of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the emperor would often hire the Sanada Ninjas for numerous jobs, normally assassinations. They didn't need us for an information network, they already had one in the form of the Oniwaban-Shu. 

Che, don't let me even get started on those fools, those so-called "Protectors of Edo Castle." Despite the fact that we had the same employer, we always hated the Oniwaban-Shu. They called themselves "ninjas" when they abandoned the old ways so long ago when they sold their souls to the Shogunate. We, the Sanada Ninjas never sold our souls, the Shogunate just happened to be our biggest source for money. But now that they were gone, our clan was having financial issues, I was sure something of the sorts was going on for the Oniwaban-Shu as well.

"What's the problem?" I asked my men waiting for me at the entrance.

"Gendo and his party have not returned from their patrol yet," one of them answered.

"Gendo is always very efficient in his work," I responded, "of course he hasn't returned yet. Why, what time did he leave?"

"It was about six this morning, Leader," another responded.

"It's about two in the afternoon now," I recalled the time on the clock in Shion's room, "this is late even for Gendo..."

"There have been a few Ishin Shishi wandering around the forest lately," one of my men brought up, "you don't think that they were caught by them, do you?"

"Of course not," I answered, "men such as the Ishin Shishi couldn't hold a candle to the ninjas of our clan."

"Then what about the ones you encountered two days when you found that woman," another brought up, "those men had rifles, didn't they?"

"...you're right there," I responded, "I can't help but worry about them now. All right then, Takumi, Keichi, and Shinbo will accompany to find Gendo and his party," I decided, "the rest of you will stay here. If the four of us don't return within an hour and a half, I want you to venture out and search for us along with another squadron, is that clear?"

"Hai!" all my men nodded.

"Good, let's get going, people!" I ordered.

The Sanada Ninja base exists on top of a mountain surrounded by a forest. The rocky terrain is impossible for any individual to climb, but a horse is still able to climb up the rocky path, though not without some trouble. Going down the mountain path leads you to the forest that surrounds the mountain, one can easily get lost within if they do not follow the forest's trail. Fortunately, the entrance to our base cannot be found if you travel down that path, but you can, however, see the base through the trees by looking past the trees in the forest. Our normal patrol route was simple, five miles in the uncharted part of the forest, from the entrance from our base to the river. A usual trip usually takes an hour if we didn't catch any intruders or anything, but Gendo normally takes three hours since he likes to take alternate routes and the such. During our patrols, we simply scared away any intruders we found and used force if necessary, which was pretty rare actually.

My men and I had traveled to the river in about twenty minutes, but there was no sign of Gendo or his party. Everything seemed normal, the sound of the stream, the birds chirping, nothing seemed unusual.

"They're not here," Shinbo stated the obvious. "I guess they must've gotten lost, that's all. Nothing unusual since this entire forest is basically a maze."

"True, but it's highly unlikely they got lost," Todo said, "after all, we were all lead through the forest during our training so everyone in the clan should know this place like the back of their hand."

"Leader, is something wrong?" Keichi asked realizing I had heard something.

There was an irregular sound coming from near the river. Plip, plip, plip, it was the sound of liquid dropping. I knew that it couldn't have been the dew left by the rain three days ago, these droplets sounded more heavy. There was also another scent in the air, a scent I never did enjoy.

"Leader, what is it?" Takumi asked a moment later.

"Blood...," I said before dashing to the source.

The source of the drops were only a few steps away, I knew I was heading in the right direction as the aroma grew stronger. I found myself at the source soon after, but there was nothing to be found. I began to stand in place, listening once more for the source of the drops, only to pick up the sound of the steps of my men.

"Stop," I ordered them before they can say another word.

The sound of the drops grew clear again, they were as loud as ever, I could feel it, I really could. Plip, plip, I knew where it was coming from, the source was coming from above.

"Holy...!" Keichi practically screamed upon looking up.

"What the...?!"

"Sweet mother of...!"

I was the only one who didn't react to what I saw above us, despite how much I really wanted to throw up inside. Above his, hanging in the trees, was what was left of Gendo and his men. The leaves were no longer a bright green, but now a dark crimson. Shreds of black cloth were plastered on some of the branches, and shades of red tainted random spots of the trees. I couldn't help but step back a second later, only to hear a small crunch underneath my feet. I turned to the source to find what seemed to be human teeth. The white tabs had been broken and scattered, one could not tell which piece could fit with another. I turned back to the trees' branches to find huge chunks of meat supported by several branches. Huge craters were embedded in the chest area of each of them, as well as blade marks filled with pools of blood. I tried to avert my eyes away, only to find the skulls of Gendo and his men where I had turned. Their mouths were wide open and secreting a white foam with streams of ruby flowing down their lips. Their faces were slashed repeatedly, I could not tell whose face was whose looking at the rotting meat. The winds began to blow suddenly as I looked into the remains in their eyes, their stench suddenly drafting to my nose in the process.

"Who could have...?" Shinbo began to step backward.

At that moment, another draft of wind began swirling in our direction. Something was odd about this one, I could hear the sound of steel whistling with this wind. Without even thinking, I jumped away, my back hitting against the nearest tree as I tried to regain my balance. Upon turning to where I had jumped from, I found several pieces of steel embedding themselves into Todo. I remember his screams before he died, remembered how wide his eyes were and how he landed into a pool of his own blood.

"Todo!" Keichi began running toward his body.

Another whistle flew into my ear at that moment, it was the same as the last one.

"Baka! Watch out!" I yelled.

It was too late, another barrage of shuriken had been embedded into one of my men shortly. Another scream, but this was short after another metallic star embedded into his throat.

"Shit!" I spat as I reached for the ninja-to on my back. "Shinbo, don't move!" I ordered, trying to prevent him from the fates that fell before my other men.

Again, I began to listen. Another gust of wind, this one more powerful than the last, this one was coming from behind this time. Launching myself forward and turning to the source at the same time, I swung my sword at the source only to find my blade slicing branches. I stared at the source of the last wind for a moment, I was sure that I felt something flying in my direction back there.

"Ugh!" I quickly turned back to my remaining ninja to find a fist embedded in his ribs.

"Shinbo!"

The fist quickly pulled back into the shrubbery, pulled back by a red and black-striped arm. Shinbo fell as soon as the hand left his ribs, his nose catching his fall. I ran to my last remaining man only to find his eyes already shut and his breathing at a halt. His ribs had been crushed with the punch, and the broken fragments of the bone must've made their way to his heart. Whoever was able to take out my men with such ease was very skilled, I knew the culprit couldn't have been an ordinary soldier of the Ishin Shishi, if they even worked for the Ishin Shishi at all.

"Bastard, show your face!" I called after.

Another blast of air followed after my cry, this one coming from my side. I swung toward the source, engraving my blade into the fist of my men's attacker. I couldn't help but look shocked by the outcome of my attack. My blade was caught in my attacker's fist, yet there was no blood. Taking a small gulp from my own saliva, my eyes began crawling up the striped arm of my attacker. The arm lead its way to a dark blue gi with violet lining and trimmings. My eyes then turned upward, crawling up a neck covered in black cloth and stopping before what looked like yellow fangs. I couldn't help but step back upon looking at the visage of my opponent.

"O...oni...," I muttered as I began to step away.

"Close, but far from it," the demon began to speak, his mouth remaining open as he spoke.

His eyes were of a dark violet hue, though you can barely see them as his lids were barely open. Yellow horns stuck out from his brow, and a black hood had engulfed the back of his head. I knew at that moment my opponent was only wearing a mask and who he really was.

"Oniwaban-Shu Ninja," I collected my cool after.

"That is correct," the man answered, "I am Hannya of the Oniwaban-Shu. I presume you are Misanagi the Flying Arrow, Leader of the Sanada Ninjas, correct?"

"Who wants to know?" I responded. "Are you the one who did this to my men?"

"I ask you the same thing, who wants to know?" the masked man responded.

"I suppose asking you why you're doing this will get me the same answer," I sighed. "Doesn't matter, anyone who trespasses in our territory will die."

I didn't waste another second wasting my breath with anymore words, I decided to take action before another syllable could escape his lips. Clang, the ringing of steel erupted once more as my blade met with his fist once more. My feet began to press against the ground for a mere second before launching me a few steps back, steering me away from his counter punch.

"You have steel gauntlets underneath those gloves I see," I observed after evading his last attack.

"You're quite observant, but then again, I shouldn't have expected anything less from the leader of the Sanada Clan," the so-called ninja remarked.

Again took the initiative, this time taking to the air for a mere second and using the tip of my sword to lead my dive back to the ground. Ting! Again, I had struck his gauntlet instead of his face, and again, he followed with another counter. His fist swept through nothing but air as I used the lock of our weapons to push me to the other side of the battlefield. Again my feet met with the ground, but only for a mere second. His fist was once again pulling in my direction, and I began to press my legs against the floor once more. Just as I had jumped, I felt a force striking against my cheek suddenly, ruining my jump and knocking my back against the nearest tree. As soon as I turned toward my opponent once more, I found that navy-gloved hand plunging forward once more.

"Shit!" I quickly ducked, only the have some of my hair get caught in the attack.

I ignored the pain of the strands' pull, instead rolling to the side to avoid his follow-up punch. As soon as I was able to face my opponent again, I couldn't help but notice a new web of cracks in the ground and a crater where his fist was.

"I see, I've heard of this technique before," I said as I returned to my feet, "the Shin-Wan Spell, you use the stripes on your arm to make you opponent misjudge the distance between you and your arm so things appear wider than they appear."

"Again I am impressed by your observations, Misanagi the Flying Arrow, however..."

A clip of steel suddenly took the place of his words. I turned to his fists once more to find several blades hanging from the top of his knuckles. Claws, that was probably how Hannya cut up Gendo and his party.

"Save your tricks for the carnival you freak," I spat as I readied my blade once more.

He took the initiative this time, the claws on his right taking the lead. Not wanting to jump anymore, I tried another tactic. I quickly dug into my pocket and removed several darts, tossing them forward as soon as I took hold of them. Thunk, thunk, thunk, none of them had hit their intended target, all of them had been embedded into the nearby trees. A gust of wind suddenly came forward after my miss, and suddenly I felt a sharp pain coming from my side.

"Argh!" I screamed as three blades scraped against my skin for a mere second.

I had no time to focus on the pain any longer after that, I had to focus on his next attack. Out of instinct, I swung my blade in the direction of his left arm, trapping it by locking the blade with one of the claws' inlets. I knew instantly that his right arm would follow, but I caught his wrist in the pit of my arm. Without even thinking, pushed my leg into his chest, knocking the masked man back and leaving him open for an attack. With a twist of my hand, I was able to lock my blade in his claws and was able to pull him in once more. With my left hand, I quickly reached for the tanto in my back and struck at whatever part of his body I could. A spurt of red followed after my strike on his chest, I knew there was no way he could counter, so I went for my final strike at his neck.

"Die how a ninja should!" I yelled as I pressed my blade forward.

Instead of another geyser of crimson, I got nothing but a swirl of wind. My opponent had suddenly disappeared, but I didn't know how. There was no sign of him, the only thing I saw were the marks on the trees and the random spots of ruby that came from our bodies. The sound of the forest had returned to my ears soon after and at that moment, the pain in my side began to return. My palm began pressing against the wound as I tried to avert my attention back to nature, only to have my ears catch another sound. It was the sound of palms rapping in somewhat consecutive beats. Someone was applauding, but who? Without even thinking, I tightened my hold on my sword and turned to the source to find a man I had never seen before and the unconscious "ninja" I was about to finish.

"Who...?" I tried to ask.

This man, he had a rather straight face. His eyes were narrow, I could barely see his ice blue pupils between the inlets of his eye lids. His nose was father sharp, his hair cut short, but he still had bangs. His face wore a monotone expression, the same expression I usually wore. A rather large coat was worn on him, and underneath that coat was a purple uniform and a kodachi on his belt.

"Impressive," the man said with his face still not changing expressions. "It's been a while since Hannya has met his match."

"I presume you are the leader of this man," I spat. "Shinomori Aoshi, I've heard about you, Leader of the Oniwaban-Shu, you've only been leader of a dead clan for a year now."

"And you for two years if I'm not mistaken," the man responded cooly. "I look forward to facing you someday, Leader of the Sanada Ninjas."

With that said, the man and his colleague began to walk away. I knew I had no need to pursue them, especially in the condition I was in.

"Fuck, I underestimated that son of a bitch!" I spat as I pressed my wound even more.

There was one thing I didn't understand after that fight. What were the Oniwaban-Shu doing in our forest, and why did they attack Gendo and his party? I figured that they simply wanted to end the grudge between our clans now that the Shogunate was overthrown, but I would later figure out, there was something more to this whole thing.  
  


(Shion's POV)  
  


"Won't you eat something?"

Again, I turned my head. It had been a while since Misanagi had gone on patrol, and ever since then, Kaita has been trying to talk to me. Despite what Misanagi had told me, I still didn't trust the man.

"Come on now, I'm sure you'll feel better if you ate something," he said as he tried placing the piece of fish at the end of his chopsticks into my mouth again.

I turned my head away for what seemed like the millionth time that day. I didn't feel like eating to tell the truth, I didn't feel like doing anything.

"Are you not hungry?" he asked.

As usual, I responded with silence. I just turned my attention to the wall, turning my vision away from him. The thought of what happened days ago just couldn't get out of my mind. The conversations Kaita tried having with me just weren't helping, even though they had no hint of what had happened.

"I see," I heard him say, "I suppose I'll just leave you alone then."

His form entered my vision only for a mere second, but he only appeared so he can exit the room. As soon as he was gone, I turned my attention back to the front of the room. My mind was once again blank at that moment. Blank, it was better than thinking at that time. My eyes couldn't help but linger throughout the entire room now that Kaita was gone. I paid attention to every little detail there; I must've counted one hundred lines total on each of the shoji doors and a million strands of hay in the ceiling. That was all I could really do at that time, take my mind off things by counting pointless things. After I was done counting, my eyes soon turned to the spot where Kaita had sent. My pupils couldn't help but widen at the shimmering object he had left there. It was a tanto; it was pretty careless of him to leave a weapon in a room like that, but I didn't think so at the time. My fingers began to twitch at the sight of the small piece of steel, and my arm began to move forward. Slowly, my hand began stroking the handle of the knife, stroking until they came to the edge of the hilt. My fingers then wrapped around the handle and the steel began hovering before my eyes. I could see my mahogany pupils widening at the sight of themselves, widening at the glimmer of the steel. I don't know why I did what I did next, but I brought the tip of the blade to the center of the cross which was scarred over my heart. The blade began to sway across one of the marks, barely gliding against my skin's surface. I began to close my eyes, and my arm began pulling away from my body with the knife still in my arms. Without even thinking, my arm suddenly shot backward.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I recall my words to Mina that day I stopped her from bringing the same fate unto herself. "Are you okay? You can't die now, what would your brother do if you were to die? Would he cry, would he simply go on with his life as if nothing happened? Aren't you worried about what might happen to him?"

I remember how she nodded in between her tears, how she wore the same expression I was wearing at that moment.

"You can't take it, can you?" I asked. "You can't take away the guilt you have for all those you killed?"

"How did you know?" she answered, recollecting her emotions with a sniff.

"As a hitokiri you are tasked to write your role in history with crimson ink," I said, "and that ink... comes from your victims. This is the role Fate has given me, the role as the Grim Reaper to those I come across in battle. The pages of my destiny are written in blood, the blood of those I killed. One would think this hasn't effected me, but in truth, it has. I was a samurai's daughter before I joined the Satsuma Clan," I began recalling my past, "I lived in a rather furnished house with my mother, my father, and my little brother, Kintaro, in Edo. My parents had tasked my brother to uphold the family's warrior spirit, I was tasked to just be a simple housewife by the time I would get married. I was supposed to be married two years ago when I was fourteen. I had a wonderful fiancéé, his name was Keisuke."

"Keisuke?" she asked. "That was the name you spoke of when I saw you crying the night before I left the Satsuma Camp."

"So you were there?" I asked. "You saw me cry?"

"Hai," I nodded, "just as you saw me cry just now."

"Arigatou," I thanked her, "it's nice to know someone knows of my pain."

"Can you tell me about Keisuke?" she suddenly asked.

At that time, I had not talked about Keisuke or family to anyone. The thought of Keisuke brought back much sadness, but at the same time, it made me happy. So taking in a deep breath, I decided to continue my story.

"Keisuke was...a wonderful person," I continued, "he was always smiling, willing to help others out, even if it was out of his way. He was great with my ten year old little brother, the two of them got along like real brothers. Keisuke was a year older than me, he always had a crush on me, just as I had one on him. We knew each other since childhood, our families lived next to each other. He proposed to me on my fourteenth birthday and of course, I said yes at the first opportunity. It was also that same year that this war began, Father was called to assist the Bakufu in here in Kyoto. My family and I would never see him again after he left, he was killed in battle by a group of bandits. Our family name was ruined after learning this, the other families had turned their backs on us. Keisuke was the only one to stay by my side, although his parents disapproved of it. His family couldn't bare to see their son hang around the daughter of a disgraced samurai family, they even turned their backs on his proposal to me. And then it happened during the month of December, it was the middle of the night, Keisuke had decided to sleep over, telling his family he was going to a friend's house instead. It was a wonderful evening, Keisuke had, well, I don't want to speak of it, it's somewhat embarrassing, but as we slept in the comfort of my futon, there was a loud crash coming from the kitchen. I decided to check things out and there was Keisuke's family along with some members of other samurai families, each them bearing arms and torches. I took my naginata resting on the nearby wall, ready to defend my home and I was engaged in combat. I wasn't very skilled then, I was barely even able to defend myself, I always found myself falling to the floor after my naginata caught an attack. Some time during the fight, I lost sight of Keisuke's father, and he went for a stab from behind. Keisuke suddenly appeared and pushed me out of the way, taking the blade into himself. Mother and Kintaro finally realized what was going on, now that the smell of smoke was quite abundant in the house. They ordered me to take Keisuke and run, to escape while we could. I should've stayed, but instead, I ran, dragging Keisuke with me. We were far from the city before I knew it, Keisuke wasn't doing so well, I knew a doctor wouldn't be able to save him. I swore that I would get revenge, that I'd kill the ones who did this to Keisuke and I, I swore I wouldn't rest until justice had been served, but it was then that Keisuke told me his last words. 'Be strong, Shion, no matter what happens, always remain as you are now.' And with that, he died in my arms, his body now just an empty shell resting on my lap. I contemplated suicide many times, just as you have, but I wouldn't because the thought of someday reuniting with him through reincarnation always went through my mind before each attempt. Mina, do you see now why I fight, why I wear the mask of happiness in front of others? I live so that I may avenge Keisuke and my family, so that I can destroy a government that started this whole 'honor' system. I live so I can honor Keisuke's last words, to continue living as the woman I was before all of this. I live...so that my family's death won't be in vain!" my voice began to crack with my last sentence.

My hands were beginning to ball into fists, as if I was wringing the neck of one of those samurai who burned my house. My teeth were clenching against each other at that moment, scraping against each other from side to side, creaking as they did so. Clear rivers poured down my cheeks, slowly falling to the tatami below in single drops.

"Shion," she spoke after the moment of silence, "do you...know what happened to the rest of your family?"

"No," I shook my head, "for all I know, they were killed as I escaped with Keisuke. I hadn't set foot in Edo since."

"I see," I couldn't notice but see her turn back to the floor.

"You are the only one I have ever told this story to," I admitted, "will you keep this story away from the ears of others?"

"Hai," she answered, "I will."

"Himura-san," I placed my hand on her cheek afterward, "you have a reason to live after this war, you still have someone to go back to, I have no one. I'm sure your brother thinks the same, that's probably why he continues to live, so he can live the rest of his life with you, to live in a war free of corruption and bloodshed."

"Arigatou, Shion," she nodded, "to give me such kind words, you're not as bad of a person that I thought you were, that you aren't."

"Continue to live, Himura-san," I told her as she rose from her seat, "but for me, once this war is over, my reason to live is over."

"Shion, live in the era that we are to create," she said a moment later with her back turned, "live so you can continue to fulfill Keisuke's last wish and for your family, they died so you can live after all."

"Keisuke!"

The blade had come to a halt before my skin. My thoughts had finally turned elsewhere, turned to the past I had forgotten in a short amount of time.

'She's right,' I thought to myself, 'Keisuke and my family, they all died for me, and yet, here I am trying to throw away my life as if their sacrifice meant nothing. Arigatou, Mina, thank you for those words you had given me back then.'

At that very moment, the shoji door had flung open once more. I turned to it for a second to find the woman I had seen when I had first awoken. I couldn't help but notice part of her clothing had been torn on the side and white linen wrapped on the skin underneath.

"Are you okay?" she asked a second later.

"I should be asking you," I said, bringing a small smile to my lips.

"What's with the smile?" she asked. "I would think that..."

"That incident has still not left my mind," I admitted, turning back my vision back to my lap and my smile melting away, "but I can't let it get to me. Someone told me that I should not waste my life if others already sacrificed theirs so I could live."

"Whatever," I heard the shinobi sigh. "You're a strange one."

"Whatever," I replied with a smile.

Chapter 2 Liner Notes  
  


What does "naze", "hai", "gomen", "baka", "oni", and "shinobi" mean?- "Naze" is the English equivalent of "why", "hai" means "yes" or any other word like that. "Gomen" means "sorry" ("gomen nesai" means "I'm very sorry"), while "baka" means "stupid", "idiot", or any other word

that deals with stupidity. "Oni" is the name of a certain species of demon, while "shinobi" is the old word for "ninja".  
  


Next time: "A war is beginning to brew, the demons that once protected Edo Castle are now coming to the front of the Sanada base. My men are prepared to combat this new threat, but with this woman, I believe I can end this war in the blink of an eye. Shion, her quick recovery from the incident will mean a quick end to this war..." -Misanagi the Flying Arrow  
  


Author's Note: Well, I hope this chapter is satisfactory to you readers. I know Shion's recovery seems too quick, but in truth, she hasn't recovered much, she's only able to talk now. She still has a way to go before she has recovered, right now she's only smiling because she remembered Mina's words, other than that, she still feels bad. Anyway, go ahead and leave a review, but no flames or anything like that, okay. If can, go ahead and check out "Crimson String Book II: A Rurouni's Path" as well to see what Mina's up to. That and this fic will cross paths in chapter 5 if you don't know, so watch out for it. Later people!


	4. The Spider and Crane Appear

Crystal's Note: Forgive us for the long wait. It's mostly because I've been lazy. But anyhow, I hope this chapter is good enough for all of you, and I definitely hope you'll enjoy it. Happy reading!

  
  


XenoMark's Note: Sorry for the long wait in updating guys, Crystal and I have been in writer's block for a while. Anyway, I know the plot doesn't really seem to be going anywhere yet, but I assure you the bigger plot will be introduced in the next chapter. These first chapters are basically just an introduction to the story's characters, but things will really kick in the next chapter, I promise. Well without further ado, I guess we can get to the story.

  
  


Chapter 3: The Spider and The Crane Appear

  
  


(Misanagi's POV)

  
  


About a month or so passed since my first encounter with the Oniwaban-Shu, my wound had healed rather quickly in that short amount of time. When I told my men what had happen, they all were already eager to battle. I had to be honest with them at the time however, and to tell them that we weren't strong enough to combat this threat was an insult them and myself. I hate to admit it, but it was true. The one named Hannya was able to take out Gendo's party of twenty, along with Shinbo, Keichi, and Takumi. I had no idea how many others were hiding out in the forest, but one thing was for sure, the Oniwaban-Shu that we were dealing with at the time were not the same pushovers we encountered in the past. Still, I had a feeling we could win this war, not just through training myself and my men vigorously, but we also had her.

Shion, she seemed to have recovered from the incident rather quickly, but like me, she was hiding all that sadness deep inside her. I noticed it every time I looked into her eyes. Behind that smile and the glint of her mahogany pupils, I saw the frown and tears. She tried her best to hide it, so I acted as if I never noticed it. Actually, to tell you the truth, I tried to act as if I didn't care about her, even if I did help her recover physically.

"Uh...!" she yelped as her foot stumbled once more.

As usual, I caught her before she hit the floor. True she was able to speak again only two days after the incident, but for some reason, she had forgotten how to walk. I wanted to assign one of my men to help her with the recovery process, but with the threat of the Oniwaban-Shu invading our territory, I couldn't allow any of them to leave their training.

"Take it slow," I ordered her as I returned her to her feet. "You shouldn't try walking at that rate yet. You should be doing small and slow steps."

"Funny," she said as I released her from my grasp, "I never thought walking could be so hard."

There she went again with that fake smile. Every time, and almost every occasion, she always curled her lips to that position.

'She better still remember how to use a sword,' I thought as I gritted my teeth.

"Is something wrong, Misanagi?"

"Nothing," I responded cooly, "nothing at all."

"You know, Misanagi, ever since I came here, you've always been like this," she suddenly brought up.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

This was the first time Shion had really tried to start a conversation with me. During her recovery, we would never really speak. I was never one to bring up a conversation, and she never really tried to start one with me. Shion would always say one-liners and joke about little things during her recovery, mostly about her tripping and the such. I never got a laugh out of what she said, but there was something about her that made me smile inside. Maybe it was because of the effort she made to try and get over that incident as quickly as possible. She seemed like one who could let things go, unlike me.

"You're always so tense, Misanagi," she pointed out, "always trying to act cool."

"Is there a problem with that?" I asked.

"No, I guess not," she answered turning her sights back to her feet.

I was so cold to her back then. I always brushed her remarks and the such away, I was so greedy. Greedy because I wanted her power for myself, the power she revealed to me the day I found her. It was the same power as Kensai's, I just had to have it, especially since the Oniwaban-Shu were now residing in our territory. Still, there was always a voice in the back of my mind that scolded me whenever I spoke to her like that. I wasn't sure why that was happening, it never came to me when I responded to anyone else, maybe because it was because she was probably the first person in the longest time that I actually wanted to know more about.

"...gomen," I suddenly apologized without even realizing it.

"Excuse me?"

"It's nothing," I quickly tried to take it back.

"Hm hm hm, ah ha ha ha ha!" Shion suddenly burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked, remaining calm.

"You're a funny one, Misa-chan," she answered between her chuckles.

"Misa-chan?" the name made my brow twitch.

"Well, you are younger than me, so it's only natural that I call you 'Misa-chan.'"

"My name is Misanagi," I corrected her, trying my best not to lose my temper, "and I'm not a child, don't ever call me by that name."

"Okay, Misa-chan," she repeated that name, bringing another chuckle to her lips in the process.

'She's hopeless,' I thought to myself.

  
  


(Shion's POV)

  
  


Misanagi, she was always trying to act so cool and tough back then. Every time I tried to get a laugh our of her, she would always enter her own little world. The only expression I ever saw on her face was that monotone one she always wore. No, there was one exception, it was that time I woke up and I found her crying. There was always a part of her that felt sad whenever I was with her, I could always see it in her eyes. Despite the condition I was in, I wanted to turn that frown upside down, even if it did mean wearing the mask of happiness once more.

"There you go again entering your own little world," I sighed, "I bet I know what's going on in that mind of yours."

"You know nothing," she responded for a moment, only to return to that place in her mind.

She was always so cold whenever she spoke, there always seemed to be something on her mind, but I wasn't sure what. I never asked her if anything was wrong and whatnot, I don't know why. Maybe I was too afraid to ask her, or maybe I already knew the answer. Still, her cold demeanor kind of reminded me of someone else I knew.

"Of course I wouldn't know anything," I decided to lose my mask of happiness, "how could I if you keep shutting yourself off from me."

"There are some things that shouldn't be your business," she answered, never losing her cool as she spoke. "Well then, look at the time," she suddenly turned her attention to the sun, "that should be it for today."

Despite how she tried to help me recover, Misanagi spent most of her time away from me. She usually only gave me an hour or two of her time during my recovery, she was always away with other matters to attend to. Patrolling the forest, training, this was just part of the large list as to why she was always away. We didn't even eat in the same room when it came time for dinner or any other meal, she would always have Kaita deliver my meal to me. At least Kaita was able to start some conversations with me, although nothing really deep. Actually, I don't think you could even call those conversations when I spoke with him. Kaita was pretty much my personal servant back then, tending to whatever I needed. He would pretty much just ask me if I needed anything and if I was doing well.

"Shall I take you to your room now?" Kaita appeared a second later.

"Hai," I nodded.

I couldn't help but always watch Misanagi as Kaita helped me to my room. It was always like that actually. Not once did she ever look at me as I left, she was always in her own little world. I knew how she felt; she was revered by the others in her clan, and yet, she still felt all alone, just like her. Their pain was something I had never experienced, but whenever I was around either Mina or Misanagi, I thought I was able to feel some of it. That pain came from looking into their eyes, looking into the window of their soul. Mina's pain came from killing so many people during the Revolution, but Misanagi's, I wasn't sure at the time.

"Shall I get you anything, Shion-san?" Kaita asked his usual question after returning me to my room.

"No," I shook my head.

"I will be on my way then," the shinobi began to leave the room.

"Kaita-san, wait," I called to him.

"Hai?" the man stopped before the door.

I wanted to ask him something, but I wasn't sure how to phrase it. Normally I was able to easily give him my request and he would fulfill it with no questions asked. This time, however, there was a request I was afraid to ask, however, I knew I had to ask it if I ever wanted to get closer to his leader.

"Was Misanagi always like this?" I asked, hesitating a moment before opening my mouth.

"What do you mean?"

"Was she always this...cold?" I continued.

"Our leader... has not always had an easy life," Kaita admitted, returning to his seat in front of me.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Have you noticed how nearly all the field ninjas in our clan are males?" Kaita suddenly brought up.

"Mm," I nodded.

"The truth is, our leader was originally just supposed to be used for breeding like many of the other women in our clan," Kaita began reminiscing. "At an early age, it's natural that all the females would rebel against this idea, but that rebellion would normally subside as the years went by. In Misanagi's case, however, that idea never left her head, in fact, it was always her dream to become leader of our clan. Ninja training for a woman normally ends at the age of twelve, however, if a woman can choose to continue training if she wishes to become a field ninja in our clan. Misanagi obviously chose the latter part, she was the only girl in her age group that decided to continue training. She was ridiculed by the boys who were still training, even some of the elder ninjas thought she wouldn't make it. Despite all the put downs and the lack of support and friends, she continued. She trained so much that she eventually became strong enough to duel the previous leader for the leadership of our clan."

"I see," I responded a moment later.

"It was a very heated battle," Kaita continued, "I remember witnessing it four years ago. The fight lasted for five hours straight, in the training fields," he pointed outside my door. "Both warriors were exhausted near the end of the battle, blood and sweat mingling for a second before each drop hit the floor. And then, with their last ounce of strength, they both went in for their kill. It's clear who the victor was. Misanagi had finally overcame all obstacles, she had accomplished her dream of becoming the first female leader of the Sanada Ninjas. In all honesty, I didn't think it was possible at the time, I didn't think it was possible for a daughter to kill her own father without remorse."

"So she killed her own father to accomplish her dream," I repeated to myself.

"Our previous leader, Daisaku the Searing Edge, was a very noble man, always putting his clan ahead of his own needs, however, he always put his daughter ahead of everything else. He and his wife, Murasaki, had two sons before Misanagi was born, but they had died right after birth. Misanagi was their miracle child, yet this miracle also came with a price. Murasaki had died after giving birth to Misanagi, and so, Daisaku made it his duty to raise his daughter as best as he could after the sacrifices of his sons and wife, he wanted their deaths to not be for nothing. Daisaku assisted Misanagi in becoming our leader, he trained with her many hours more than how much he had trained with the other ninjas. The others resented Misanagi for the attention that was especially given to her, especially one young man named Jimmu the Poison Fang. Jimmu has hated Misanagi since she was born, hating her because their father had chosen her to become leader over him."

"Wait, you said 'their'," I interrupted, "I thought you said Misanagi was born as an only child."

"Born?" another voice suddenly entered the room, following a heavy chuckle. "That halfling was spawned."

It was a voice I had never heard before, it was rather monotone, yet there was a hint of anger in his voice. It felt rather cold as well, much like hers, yet the chill in his voice also seemed to burn. My eyes began to linger to the other side of the room, and there, standing on the ceiling of the wall, with his black scarf hanging down, was a man I had never seen before. I could barely see the black peas that were his pupils; his eyes were as narrow as the width of paper. His earth-brown hair looked shoulder length, it looked somewhat like a spider as he hung there. A black ninja gi was plastered on his body, one much like the other Sanada Ninjas, but there was no netting around the chest area. Impressions of rings and sakura petals were randomly placed all over his gi and his hamaka, which was tied to his ankles and tabi so that it didn't give the impression of a dress like most hamakas do. The aroma surrounding this man was one I knew too well, it was obvious that this man had his bath in the Sanzu numerous times in the past.

"Jimmu-sama, what are you doing here?" Kaita asked the man.

A small curl fell upon his lips a second later, and his feet soon leaving the ceiling. His body spiraled forward for a moment, his knees barely stopping the rest of his body from falling flat on the tatami. His hair bobbed to his shoulders after his feet began pressing against the floor, bobbing as if they were a spider jumping on its prey. His figure had become more clear now as he stood there with that grin stretched from ear to ear. His arms and chest were as chiseled as stone, his teeth were of a ivory white shade and looked as sharp as a knife's edge. His face was rather sharp as well, though it was chiseled in the corners like the rest of his figure.

"I have completed the mission that was assigned to me a year ago," he answered, that grin melting back into a monotone, yet somewhat angry, expression. "I have completed that halfling's request in securing a route to Edo. I don't see why it was necessary seeing that we're on Mount Fuji."

'Mount Fuji?!' the name of our location came to a shock to me. 'How did I wind up all the way up here when I was last in Kyoto?'

I never did ask Misanagi or Kaita where the location of their base was, I always thought we were close to Kyoto. I didn't know how it was possible at the time, but it was definitely a shocker.

"A secure private route is necessary if we plan on getting supplies from the city," Kaita explained.

"Since when do we need supplies from outside civilization?" Jimmu asked, keeping his cool just like his sister. "If father were still alive, he would have..."

"Jimmu-sama, your father is dead, your sister..."

"Don't you dare call that halfling my sister!" his cool exterior suddenly cracked.

I couldn't help but jump at the site of his anger. I swear I could see steam blowing from his ears as he yelled at Kaita. For a moment his teeth clenched against one another, only to separate a moment later. His cool quickly returned, but the fear he had inflicted upon me was still there.

"Why must I get angry so easily," he said, pretending to dust his sleeves off. "Oh, and what have we here?" his attention suddenly turned toward me. "Such a lovely guest we have here," his lips began to curl once more, "may I ask your name?"

"...Shion," I hesitated for a moment before answering, "Azumi Shion."

"Such a lovely name," he said, taking my hand into his, "what brings you here, my sweet?"

"Jimmu-sama, stop that," Kaita ordered, "she is our leader's guest."

"Oh, I see how it is," his hand began to slip away from mine, "you're that trump card that halfling spoke of in her letters to my men. Such a terrible leader that woman is, depending on a single girl to take end this conflict."

"Excuse me?" his words began confusing me.

"Oh, you do not know?" he asked, beginning to take his leave. "That's so typical of that halfling, never telling the grunts of their true purpose, I almost pity them. Well then, we shall meet again, Azumi Shion," he smiled once more before leaving the room.

That was my first encounter with Jimmu the Poison Fang, the half-brother of Misanagi the Flying Arrow. His presence was very frightening and intimidating, I was always scared when he was around. He had the same icy exterior as his sister, yet there was a fire behind it that was burning like the flames of hell.

"I'm glad Daisaku-sama didn't challenge him to be leader," Kaita broke the silence a moment later.

"Kaita-san," I decided to change the subject, "he said we were on Mount Fuji. Is what he said true?"

"Hai," he answered, "why do you ask?"

"The day before you all found me, I was in Kyoto," I began to recall. "The last thing I remembered was having my body dumped into a body of water, and the next thing I knew, I had awoken in this room. I'm wondering how I was able to get this far over the course of one night."

"Legends say that all of the lakes and rivers of Japan are all linked via underground caverns," Kaita explained, "perhaps you were somehow pushed into those caverns and you were then brought to the river close by."

"Perhaps," I responded.

"Well, you should get some rest now," Kaita suddenly began to take his leave, "you've got a long day ahead of you tomorrow."

"Hai," I nodded.

Get some rest, I didn't need it, I was only up for about four hours that day. Get some rest, that's what they always told me after returning to my room or possibly after my meals. I felt like I was locked up in a cage back then, just like a bird who couldn't control its fate. True I could get whatever I wanted if I asked, but I still felt like a caged animal. There was nothing for me to really do in my room either, so most of the time I was forced to do their bidding. Yet that day was different. Instead of falling asleep for the rest of the day, I woke up about two hours later from the sound of muffled voices from the other side of my door.

"Our leader's gone missing," one of them said.

"Nani, how is that possible?!" the other exclaimed.

I began to sit up as soon as the comprehension of the words began to sink into my head. My arms began to push my body against the floor, and my legs began to rise soon after. The limbs were very wobbly, they were having trouble supporting the upper part of my body. Before my face could fall against the floor, my hand quickly took hold of the wall. I began sliding my hand upward so that my body could stand up straight again, but again, my legs would wobble. My arms began to crawl against the wall, sliding to the side so my body could follow its path. I followed their path for several seconds, following it until my ear was able to pick up the conversation on the other side more clearly.

"She hasn't returned from patrolling yet," the conversation continued as I lowered the force exerted on my arms, allowing my ear to sink to the other side of the door.

"It's been two hours, hasn't it?" the other person asked.

"She said she was going out to patrol alone today despite the disapproval of the elders."

"Do you think she ran into the Oniwaban-Shu again?"

"Oniwaban-Shu?!" I couldn't help but slide the door open with the mention of their name.

I had heard the name before. The Protectors of Edo Castle, their reputation was well known in the samurai families of Edo, so I knew what skills they had possessed. Though I had never encountered one up to that point, I had always feared running into one of those ninjas, ever since I was a child. It was fairly common back then to see corpses laid out on the street as I grew up, Father would always tell me it was the work of the Oniwaban-Shu; he said that the Oniwaban-Shu would do that to all the people with impure thoughts and intentions. I suppose that's how he kept my brother in line and all back then, but still, even when I was grown up, I still feared the name.

"Oh, Shion-san," the ninjas on the other side turned their attention toward me, "you've heard of the Oniwaban-Shu?"

"How can you just stand there and gossip so peacefully when your leader's life could be in danger?!" I fumed.

"Shion-san, we've already sent a search party to find her about half an hour ago," one of the ninjas explained, "we still haven't gotten word from them."

"If that's the case then I'll go look for her!" I suddenly blurted.

"But Shion-san, you still haven't..."

"What, I still can't walk straight?!" I spat. "I can walk just fine!" I began to step forward, almost losing my balance in the process.

"Shion-san, with all do respect, stay out of this affair," the other ninja told me, "you'll only..."

"I don't care!" I spat. "I'm going to look for her!"

"But..."

"Let her go," the voice of the spider entered my ear suddenly.

"Jimmu-sama?" the two shinobi turned to the man in the corner.

"Well, what are you waiting for," the man asked a second later, "you said you wanted to look for her, so go."

Something was odd at the moment; Jimmu, a man who couldn't even accept Misanagi as his younger sister was ordering me to go find her. That simper he was wearing at that time made me think for a moment, think about what agenda he might have had if I went to go look for her. I couldn't help but stare at the man puzzled for a moment, but I decided to brush away the thought and return to my objective to find Misanagi.

My foot began to tremble the moment I lifted it from the ground, and then my leg shook after it returned to the floor. My body began to push forward suddenly, but luckily I was able to shift my weight towards my back for a moment so I was able to regain my balance. I took another step a second later, this time it met with uneven ground filled with pebbles and dust. Again I almost slipped, but this time I was able to regain my balance more quickly. A third step followed sooner than my second, and this time I didn't stagger, but my pace was still slow. Eventually I found myself walking toward the gate of the base, but not without my feet slipping an inch or two every once and a while.

"Hey, girl!" the spider called before I could push open the lumber walls.

As soon as I turned back to his direction, I suddenly found an iron pole falling towards my arms. My fingers quickly wrapped around the turquoise-colored bar, but my shoulders almost pulled me down once the pole landed in my hands. I took a moment to gaze at the weapon; it was rather light-weighted once I was able to pull up to my level, and the blade on the northern end was curved like the crescent moon. The texture of the pole was free of lumps or other blemishes; it was as smooth as honey. I could see my own reflection through the shimmering texture of the steel blade and pole. The southern end of the weapon had a tiny black nub, it could probably be used for non-lethal attacks. My arms began to swing to the right, guiding the path of the spear; it was balanced pretty well, it was just like the one I trained with when I was a child.

"Naginata," I turned back to the spider as he spoke once more. "It's your weapon of choice, right?" he asked.

I simply nodded to him as a response, and then I returned my gaze to the lumber walls before me. Before I could push on the walls, they began to creak suddenly. A tiny crack began to appear down the center of the walls, and with every second that passed, the crack grew larger. The image of the outside world became more apparent with each second that passed, and soon, I found nothing but trees, mountains, and rivers before my eyes.

'I guess I'll be going now,' I thought to myself a moment after observing the area around me.

Again my foot began to shake as I took that first step, but I did not lose my balance this time. I began to hesitate before I could take my second step and I began to look back to where I had come from. I began to swerve my body back in that direction, but then I remembered why I was going out; I had to find her. Taking up my courage once more, I turned back to the wilderness and took that second step. A third, then a fourth followed after, I lost count of how many steps I took after a while. The time gap between each step lessened with every step that I took, there was no way anything was stopping me now.

Why was I doing all of this for a woman who treated me like trash, you ask? It's because back then, and even now, there was something about that woman that intrigued me. I don't know what it was, but this feeling made me want to know about her, it made me want to grow close to her, and most of all, it made me want to love her. This feeling, it was the same one I felt for her, the same one I felt for Mina.

'Hm, where am I supposed to go now?' I asked myself upon reaching the forest.

Misanagi and the other ninjas never told me about the outside world, so I was obviously lost upon my first visit to the forest. The sight of bark and leaves was as far as the eye could see the smell of flora and dew had engulfed the entire area, and the songs of birds filled my ears from every direction. Wherever I turned, wherever I stepped, everything looked and felt the same. I hated being lost, and I don't know how long I stayed there. The sun was beginning to set the next thing I knew, and I don't think I remembered the way back at that time.

'Oh great,' I sighed as I turned my gaze to the setting sun, 'I better go find some shelter for the night then.'

I didn't know which way I went after that, but luckily the path I chose was the right one.

  
  


(Misanagi's POV)

  
  


The sounds of water splashing on the rocks, the smell of the fresh trees around me and the sight of the crystal clear blue river in front of me cleared my head. I closed my eyes and remembered how my childhood was like... 

My childhood would not be one that would be unique, but it would not be one that is usual either. Most female ninjas would have training ninja training until twelve, but some… Some like me, would choose to continue their training to become a field ninja. Up to then, my life has been pretty normal, except for the fact that my late father had trained me harder and had paid more attention to me than he had to any other ninjas...

I had chosen that path and I knew it was going to be a hard path. All the trainings had to be hard. But what I did not expect was the boys that were also training to be a field ninja to make fun of me and insult me. I could remember how they had first done so...

"Misa-chan! What is a female like you doing here? Training to become a field ninja? I think you'll never make it!" One of the boys with a tiny ponytail and light brown eyes said teasingly.

I glared at him, "Stop calling me that." I tried ignoring the boys and tried to train, but it was clearly impossible, as the boys were surrounding me and teasing me mercilessly. "Stop it! I just want to train! Go away!"

"Boohoo! Misa-chan! Misa-chan!" They teased me endlessly, knowing I despised the nickname they had given me and kept on chanting, hoping it would drive me up the wall.

I closed her eyes, hoping I could block away the boys chanting the nickname I hated, but all I e could hear after I closed my eyes was their voices... Their annoying voices... "Just shut up! I don't want to hear this!"

"Misa-chan, you know, you should really just stop now. There's no point in wasting your time here. You're just not going to make it. Even my father says there's a slim chance of you ever making it. You're a woman. Just go find someone to marry, that's your destiny. Stop wasting your time here. The elders think you won't make it either, so why waste your time here?"

I felt my breathing race as my anger built up, but suppressed it. "Just go away and let me train... Please..."

My thoughts disappeared into thin air as I heard footsteps approaching, more like stumbling towards me. I turned around and looked at Shion with those cold guarded eyes of mine.

"Misa-chan?" Shion asked as she wobbled unsteadily closer to me. "Where have you been? Everyone is worried sick about you." She said truthfully.

I was surprised to see her walking already, although I did not show any of that. "I am able to take care of myself, thank you very much." I said sarcastically. "After all, I am the leader of the clan." Shion had decided to stay quiet, and I was quite thankful of that. I rather have her be quiet than ask me about stuff I did not want to answer at all.

A few moments passed silently as I glanced at the water run one way in the river until Shion cleared her throat. "So..." She started, "what were you thinking about back there? You looked quite thoughtful." She stated.

"What business is it of yours?" I asked. "What I think is clearly none of your business."

She mumbled something inaudible and everything became silent once again. "I heard about your childhood... So how was it?" 

I ignored her question and entertained myself with the beautiful forest scene around me. If not that, I entertained myself with thoughts of... Practically anything. 

"How was life as the only female ninja your age?" She asked again. 

I ignored her a second time.

"You know..." Shion started again and I could barely contain the urge to roll my eyes so I looked away. "I do understand how you feel... As the only female ninja, I mean. To be truthful, when I was young, I was in a similar position while I was growing up..." I had to admit I was startled with the confession. When I looked at her, she was looking thoughtful, spacing out.

"Do you really know how I feel, Shion? Do you?" I asked silently, thinking my question would not be answered.

She looked like she didn't hear it for quite a few moments until she nodded slowly, "I understand... I understand entirely how you feel. You feel lonely and rejected because you feel like no one loves you anymore. You don't feel supported because of all the insults you suffer from the people you thought were suppose to support you. No matter how much better you are than them, you always get put down by the guys... Because they just like to make you feel bad. I know how that feels."

I turned my back towards her because I knew what my face looked like. I was speechlessly shocked. How could someone... How could she understand me? How could she? Except she did, because that's what I felt when I was a child... When I was growing up. It was exactly how I felt. Why did every boy insult me? Why didn't the elders believe I could do it? Why did nobody every talk to me because I was a girl?

"How about I make a deal with you?" Shion said.

I turned around right away and raised my eyebrow, "What are you suggesting?"

"If you want someone to talk to you... Someone to listen to you, I'll always be there. I'll be there to listen to you and I'll be there to give you any advices and my opinion, what do you say?" Shion continued, "In return, you do the same for me when I need someone to talk and listen to me, when I need someone to give me advices and their opinions. Is that okay with you?"

I was pondering over the deal Shion made with me, which wasn't much of a deal, but it was something I had wanted for a while... I need someone to talk to and listen to... I need someone to share my deepest secrets with and someone that would give me their point of view with complete truthfulness. I could accept... Or I could deny. And I choose the former. As I was about to reply her, a scream was heard and both our necks snapped towards the sound, alarmed and alerted. I looked at Shion for a split second and she nodded her head towards me and we ran towards the source of the scream.

As we reached it, I saw a woman cornering a man against a tree. The man seemed like he was pleading and I saw the woman sigh as if he was useless and saw her thrust her sword right into his liver. His body was limp immediately and she retreated the blade from that man's corpse. I thought that was all there was to it, after all, the man was dead already. But to my surprise, once her blade was free from the body, she thrust it once more, this time, decapitating him. She turned around, not noticing us, about to leave until...

I decided to get her attention, "Hey!"

"What do you want?" She spat out, her back still turned towards me.

There was something odd about that woman, and it wasn't just her clothes. Maybe it was her narrow eyes, the tint within them seemed to shift from red, violet, and black. Or maybe it was her hair, tied in a long black braid in the back and her bangs covering her right eye. Her clothes were very odd I must admit, I had never seen anything like them at the time. What she wore was something that looked like a white gi, only that multiple strings held the halves together by hooking onto buttons. The clothing on her legs also represented a hakama to an extent; the leggings were still baggy, but there were no individual folds and you can easily see where the leggings met. There were tabi on her feet however, but they were covered by what looked like black European shoes. The sword in her hands was quite odd too. It was similar to a Tai Chi in terms of the handle, but the blade was different. The blade was straight and as long as a normal katana, but both sides of the blade had an edge.

"Misanagi, I don't think this is a good idea," I saw Shion frown beside me. "Can't you feel her ki, it's..." My eyes was on the woman's figure the whole time and I watched her carefully and calculatingly as she turned around.

"You're trespassing on Sanada Ninja grounds," I said, then ordered, "now leave this area immediately or..."

I heard the woman laugh at my words, "Do you understand the power of my sword, you little wench?" She said, a smirk on her face, "What am I talking about, I doubt that I'll even need a weapon to defeat the likes of you."

"Just who do you think you are talking to me like that?!" I demanded, my anger rising up again.

"Misanagi, please..." Shion begged beside me.

"I have no reason to kill you," she sighed dramatically as she twirled the straight sword between the gaps of her fingers, "but if you want to play, I'm up for a game."

Without much warning to everyone, my anger took over and instead of listening to that bullcrap Shion was giving me, I pushed her away and took out a few shurikens and threw them as hard as I could.

"Child's play." She sighed. 

Each of my shurikens landed between her fingers without harming a single hair on her head. A grin came on her lips to reflect back on those metallic stars and as she got lost with that reflection in those stars, I took out my blade and leaped forward. She evaded the attack by swerving around in a complete circle and this time, I swung to the left, brining it upwards. She evaded the attack again by moving her shoulder and inch back. I attacked again by going for her neck, only to miss again. She evaded the next attack with a simple side step when I was trying to aim her side with my left leg. Fuming, I punched her, only to land my punch in the middle of her palm. 

She smiled, "Is this all you have?" She began to close her fist, trying to crush my hand in the process.

Thankfully, before she could even begin to crack my bones, I heard the familiar sound of the naginata whistle and I stood there calmly, knowing the attack wasn't for me. I looked behind me only to find Shion standing there with her naginata at her side.

"It's one thing that my friend here tried to start a fight with you," she said, "but it's another thing to try and break her hand like that!"

"Still, she's the one who started it," the woman responded, tapping her sword's edge against her own shoulder.

"Shion, stay out of this!" I yelled at Shion, afraid that she would still not be strong enough. She had only recovered a while ago. I placed the hilt of my sword on my knuckles... And charged. It was weird how she didn't dodge my attack, but what had sent me into shock was that she grabbed my wrist...Just before my sword could harm her. The next second, I felt myself tossed against a tree and my hand lose grip on my sword. I heard it clatter on the floor and almost groaned in pain. Lying there, I heard Shion attack the woman. I heard fabric torn and the familiar whistle of steel again. I looked in the woman's direction just in time to see her braid become undone. 

Shion brushed her hair that was covering her face, "That technique you're using, your accent, and the clothes you wear," she began, "what are they, they can't possibly be of Japanese origin."

The woman smirked, "Well you're an observant one. They're Chinese. Have you ever heard of Wing Chun Kung Fu, girl?"

"I've heard the name," Shion answered, "So what brings you to Japan, foreigner?"

The woman spoke a language completely out of my understanding, "My mission is genocide of the foreigners."

"Nani?" Shion asked, "You speak in an alien language."

The woman spoke Japanese again, "I have no reason to answer you. Now then, shall we?" She asked, signaling Shion to go closer to her with her left hand.

I decided it was time to get up. I picked up my sword and swung it towards the woman again. At the last second, she turned towards me and grabbed the hilt of my blade as I swung it down and she tugged the sword, making me lose hold of it. I watched as she used my blade to block Shion's naginata and my blade shattered. Seeing that my blade was useless, she tossed it aside. Shion was fast and the woman kept blocking with her straight sword. Gritting my teeth, I took out more shurikens and threw them towards the woman... And one managed to hit her, right on her right shoulder. Shion's blade landed with the woman's arm. The woman managed to get the Shion's naginata away from her arm and jumped away.

"Had enough?" I asked, panting. Shion fell to her knees holding her wound. I would have to treat her once we get back.

The woman smirked, "I've underestimated you," and took a closer look at her own wounds, "This white dress shirt has never been tainted with red ever since I bought it. Tell me, spear woman and ninja, what are your names?"

"Misanagi the Flying Arrow," I responded, hissing through my teeth.

"Azumi Shion," Shion answered.

"And I am Wu Lei Xiang," she said. "Perhaps one day you'll make me break a sweat." With that last sentence, she walked off.

As I watched her back retreating, I knew there was more than the Oniwaban-Shu we had to worry about. I had to admit she was strong. It makes me wonder if Shion could have beaten her, even if she wasn't wounded. And what of the Hitokiri Kensai? She could even perhaps have beaten Hitokiri Kensai. Anger flowed through my veins to hear that name again. My eyes were still on Xiang's retreating back and I felt them narrow. She was strong, but definitely had the worst attitude.

  
  


Chapter 3 Liner Notes

  
  


Info on Jimmu- As you've read in this chapter, Jimmu is the older half-brother of Misanagi and obviously hates her. His name is actually based on Japan's legendary first emperor who founded the Japanese state around 600 B.C. The spider-like hair that Shion speaks of symbolizes his relationship with Misanagi. Misanagi's hair tends to look like a butterfly if you use your imagination, and so naturally, a spider would be a butterfly's predator. As long as the butterfly doesn't end up in the spider's web, the spider is harmless, but if the butterfly were to end up in the web, well, we all know what will happen. You might want to keep this in mind for what may happen in later chapters.

  
  


Info on Xiang- Wu Lei Xiang is another character who was recently introduced. As written earlier, Xiang uses Wing Chun Kung Fu, but that's not the only martial art she knows. She also uses Tai Chi, Crane, and another martial art that will be revealed later on. Unlike the rest of the cast, she is of Chinese decent (obviously). Her family name, Wu Lei, is a tribute to a Lei Wu Long of the Tekken video game series. Her name, Xiang, however, has multiple meanings. Xiang is the name of a Chinese Emperor's tomb (I don't remember which one) and it sounds almost like Shion's name when spoken, not to mention their names are written alike in kanji and Chinese. Xiang will play a larger role later on in this fic, as well as "Crimson String Book II: A Rurouni's Path" as she is a key member of both stories' overall plot. Her true intentions and past will be revealed later on.

  
  


Next time: "Mina, it's been so long since I've seen you, it feels like an eternity since we last saw each other. But with things as they are now, I don't know what to do. Misanagi and her Sanada Ninjas have done so much for me, and I wish to repay them. The price is very high, but if I do not comply, will lose something very meaningful, and even if I do, I'll lose something else just as valuable. I'm sorry, Mina, but I do not know what to do. God, please forgive me for whatever decision I'm about to make..." -Azumi Shion

  
  


XenoMark's Note: Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, despite how slow it was. I swear, things will kick in in the next chapter. Review if you want if it's not a negative response like a flame or anything. Chapter 5 will definitely bring in some action and drama as Mina and Shion will be reunited then and the two stories' plots will intertwine. We'll try and bring the next chapter sooner than this one, so until then, later people.

  
  


Crystal's Note: Once again, sorry for the slow update and as XenoMark says, things will quicken up in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll try to get off my lazy bum and work on the next chapter quicker. So see you later!


	5. Reflections of the Past

XenoMark's Note: Sorry for the really long wait people, last semester's been really tough on my schedule and I've been sick for a while. In any case, we get a good look at Shion's past in this chapter, all of it slowly leading up to Mina and Shion's reunion in the next chapter (which by the way, I'll try to get done by next month if time permits). Things will really begin to pick up in the next chapter, I swear, so in the meantime, I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

  
  


Crystal's Note: As XenoMark said, sorry for the long wait. I've been quite lazy, to say the least. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and have a Happy New Year!

  
  


Chapter 4: Reflections of the Past

  
  


(Shion's POV)

  
  


My arms were growing heavy at that time, my body drenched in sweat, and my breath weak. I remember the grip I had on my naginata, my fingers were growing sore and my palm filled with blisters. Despite the pain that was running through my hands, I continued to swing my spear once more.

"Well, well, what have we here?"

It was Hiroto and the others, coming by to do their usual bullying. I always hated those boys, back then, and even now, I still hate them. They would always laugh and make fun of me, teasing how I didn't have as much stamina as they did, teasing how weak I was, and teasing me just because I was a girl.

"You're tired already?" Yotoko, one of Hiroto's friends, taunted. "Man you're pathetic, I could keep going on like this for an hour and still not be tired."

"Weakling!" another one called.

"Baka!"

"Loser!"

The names would never cease, and they would always drive me to tears. Whenever they began calling me those names, I could help but drop my weapon and cover my eyes with my blistered hands. I would always try to curl into a ball, bringing my knees close to my chest hoping that my body would somehow able to drown their taunts. It never did, but...

"Hey, leave her alone! Stop it!"

It was the voice of my savior, Keisuke.

"Oh crap, it's Keisuke! Run!"

The bullies would always run away when Keisuke appeared. They knew he could beat all of them up if he wanted to, but he never got the chance. Instead, he would always lend me a hand and pull me back to my feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked me as he pulled me back to my feet.

"Hai," I would always nod, but with tears still streaming down my cheeks.

My darling Keisuke, he was always there for me. Whenever I was bullied back then, whenever I fell during my training, and whenever I needed some company, Keisuke was always there.

"Shion, stop it!" I would awaken a minute later with the sound of Misanagi's voice.

"Hm?" I suddenly found myself back in the dining hall of the Sanada Ninja base.

"Stop looking at me like that!" she continued as she took another piece of poultry onto her plate.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" I winked, trying to joke with her.

"Nani?!" I couldn't help but notice a flash of crimson on her cheeks. "Of course not, you look weird, that's all."

"Ah ha ha ha ha!" I couldn't help but respond with my usual laugh. "Could it be that the Sanada Ninja leader has a crush on me?"

"Shut up!" she retorted, her face still red.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," I assured her with the wave of my hand. "You don't have to get so upset."

"I'm not upset!" she practically yelled.

"Oh boy, you don't get teased very often, do you?" I sighed, taking my plate to the sink.

"I'd rather not be teased at all," she said, "...it brings back bad memories."

'...yes it does,' I thought to myself.

"Shion likes Keisuke! Shion likes Keisuke!"

That's what Hiroto and the others would tease me about the moment I turned six. It never brought me to tears when they chanted the same verse over and over, it just made my face burn with embarrassment.

"No I don't!" I would always respond.

On this particular day, Keisuke was sick unfortunately, so instead of crying, I ran from the scene. I ran into my house, not looking where I was going exactly, and the next thing I knew, I was in the living room. I took a few moments to catch my breath which I had lost from fleeing from the scene. Underneath all my pants, however, I could hear a conversation going on in the next room. The doors to the dining room were shut, and I could several shadows behind the shoji door. I couldn't help but listen to what they were talking about that day, I just had to know.

"Kyoto has been getting very dangerous these days," I heard one of the shadows speak from the other side. "I heard that the Shogunate is planning to send some of our men are being sent there to repress the rebellion going on."

"I don't see why they have to send people like us to Kyoto," another voice said. "It shouldn't be a real threat, the Tokugawa Shogunate has been around for over three-hundred years, I'm sure something as small as the Ishin Shishi can easily be eliminated."

"I'm not so sure," I heard the voice of my father after. "Ever since the black sails came to our country eight years ago, numerous rebellions have been appearing throughout the country. At this rate..."

"You're such a pessimist, Norikuni," a third voice interrupted, "just like your father."

"I'm afraid I'll have to agree with Azumi-kun on this one," one of the shadows began to stand.

"You too, Gonji?!"

"With the exception of Norikuni and Keichiro, all six of us have fought together with Norikuni's and Keichiro's fathers and the Tachibana and Moritsune Families," Rikumari Gonji, the man who was standing continued. "Despite how strong our army was back then, I'm afraid our swords have no might against the Western weaponry the rebels have."

"Che, we can easily crush them!" another shadow stomped.

"Hyoma, calm down," my father ordered.

"I must agree with both Azumi-kun and Rikumari-san on this one," the final shadow spoke calmly, "however..."

"However?" everyone else in the room repeated, puzzled.

"I do believe we can crush these rebels with the very same technology," the man continued.

"You expect us to just throw our swords away, Kagami?!" the fifth voice began to draw his weapon. "Our fathers and their fathers threw their lives away for our weapons, they are more than just tools for killing, they each tell a tale of our family's history!"

"Shizaku Kazuya-kun, you're always quick to anger," Kagami Nobunaga replied without losing his cool.

"What was that you old...!" Kazuya practically yelled.

"That's enough, all of you!" my father ordered. "I will have no blood spilled in my house! It's clear that we all have different views on the situation, but I'm sure all of us here will lend our sword to the Shogunate if they were to call upon us."

"Perhaps you will," Gonji said as he began to walk toward the door on the other side of the room.

"Gonji, are you turning back on the Shogunate?!" Kazuya yelled.

"If I must, then I shall," Gonji answered without turning toward his comrades once more. "The life of a ronin is preferable if I can keep my daughter, Madoka, away from this battle as far as possible."

"You fool, get back here!" Hyoma ordered.

"Leave him, Hyoma," Kagami ordered.

"Naze?!"

"It is apparent that he puts his family ahead of his lord," Kagami continued. "That man was never a true samurai to begin with, always putting his daughter and wife ahead of the Shogunate. It is a futile effort to try and convince him to stay. Suzuka Keichiro-kun, you haven't said a thing after this whole argument began," Kagami returned the conversation to its source.

"I'm not sure what to think," Keichiro replied. "I mean, I'm sure I want my sons to become fine samurai like me, but I don't think I want to have them suffer through a war. Still, I will take up my sword for the Shogunate."

"What about your eldest, Keichiro, the one named Keisuke?" Hyoma brought up. "The boy may be violent with the other kids, but we all know what a pacifist he is, always playing with flowers and the such with Norikuni's child."

"My girl has a name, Hyoma-san, it's Shion," my father retorted. "I would appreciate it if you called her by her name."

"Why should I?" Hyoma retorted. "The girl may be skilled with the naginata and sword, but she will never use them. A girl will eventually become a woman and then wed to a man where she will then focus on the kitchen and children instead of her weapon. I never really saw the point in training girls in weaponry, even if they are part of the family."

The words Hyoma said, I couldn't help but gasp at the sound of them. They were the same things those boys had taunted to me about, how I would not amount to anything. My eyes began to drop to the floor at the moment, and my eyes began to fill with tears. No one heard me cry that time, they had all begun to leave the room, each of them passing me by as if I never existed. Yet there was one who did stop, kneeling down and wiping my tears away with his finger.

"Shion, are you okay?" Father asked me. "What's wrong?"

"Daddy," I sniffed, "is there really no point in my training?"

"Of course there is," he replied with a smile. "I want you to become strong, Shion, strong so that when you do get married and have your own family, you'll be able to raise them properly."

"What about the war?" I asked after. "The one in Kyoto? Are you going to be shipped over there?"

"Of course not, honey," he answered, "the rebels will be crushed in no time, they're just giving us a little bit of trouble. Don't worry, Shion, no matter what happens I'll make sure you and your little brother, Kintaro, will live happy lives, despite the changing of the times."

"How false that was...," I said in the present.

My father did go to Kyoto however, is was eight years later, when I was fourteen. He and his battle companions traveled there together, following the orders of the Shogun. However, during that journey, Father had died, along with Keisuke's father. Our families had gotten a letter of their deaths a month afterward; it said that my father and Keisuke's were killed in an ambush by some bandits, and Kagami and his other comrades had disappeared during the skirmish. My family was then looked down upon the other families, even Keisuke's family, who had blamed Keichiro's death on my father. Keisuke, however, did not blame my father, in fact, he was the only one who stood by us. Again I would find myself crying because of the other families' taunts, but this time, my brother, Kintaro, was also picked on. Keisuke would still rush to our aid, but despite the fact that his family was also having rough times.

"Don't cry," he would always tell me as he wiped my tears, "crying doesn't befit a woman such as yourself."

Ever time he would wipe my tears, I felt like I was in a dream. I would lose myself just staring into those lavender pupils, I would nearly faint by looking into the curve of his smile, and his chocolate brown hair, I would just sink into the floor if I were to run my fingers through it. We were in love back then, although no one really knew about our affair. ...well, except for Kintaro, he would cling onto us as much as he could back then.

"What about me?" Kintaro would interrupt us. "Crying doesn't befit me either, right?"

"For a woman such as you, I'd say it does. Ah ha ha ha ha!" I would always joke after.

Keisuke would always break into laughter as well while Kintaro would begin to fume. He would always kick dirt at us or yell "that's not funny!" at the top of his lungs. Of course, he knew we were joking.

"You know your sister's only joking," Kintaro would assure him.

"Yeah," I would add, "come on, let's go get some ramen and forget about this whole mess."

"What a liar I was back then," I scolded myself in the present. "I could never forget..."

I remember our final day together clearly, it was December 17, Western Year 1864. Keisuke had proposed to me on my birthday a month before. I was filled with joy in the short time, I would forget about the troubles we had endured shortly after our fathers' death. Mother and Kintaro were happy for us, however, Keisuke's family were angered. They did not want their son to hang around, much less marry, the daughter of a disgraced samurai. Regardless, Keisuke stuck by me despite his family's disapproval. In fact, they kicked him out of the house, so he came to live with us. We grew even closer together at that time, savoring every second we spent together, each one filled with delight and passion. But then that night, it would all come to sudden close.

The night was cold, but Keisuke and I were warm, holding one another in each other's arms as we slept. Yet in the middle of it all, a black cloud began to emerge, and the smell of ash and soot blew into my nose.

"Is something burning?" I asked myself as I tied the belt on my kimono.

The sound of crackling began to fill my ears afterward, and a hint of orange and red began to flash before my eyes. It was obvious what was happening, our home had caught on fire.

"What the?!" was my reaction.

My ears began to pick up the sound of creaking after, this one was coming from above. I did not know where it was coming from at the time, but when I finally realized where it was coming from, the image of lumber falling toward my head was already centimeters away.

"Look out!" I suddenly felt my arm tugged toward the futon again, dragging me into safety. "Are you all right?" Keisuke asked afterward.

"I'm fine, but...," I began to look toward the blaze which was on the other side of the door.

"Who would do such a thing?" Keisuke began to ask, only to get his answer in the next second.

"Azumi! You've disgraced the Shogunate long enough!" a voice called from outside.

"Hiroto, that bastard!" Keisuke swore, his hands balling into a fist.

"If you're still alive, then come out here so we can finish you off!" the taunting continued.

"Why this?" my eyes began to water. "Why now? Can't they see..."

"They don't see, Shion," Keisuke interrupted. "All the families care about are 'pride' and 'honor,' like how samurai should, or at least they pretend to uphold such things. We should show them, Shion, how true samurai uphold such things!"

The next thing I knew, we were bearing arms and running through the inferno that was once my home. I did not bother to look where I was going, my eyes were blinded by the black smog and my breath hacking. I relied on Keisuke to lead us out of there, our hands not separating for one second. The moment I had smelled fresh air again, however, was when I felt a weight pushing down on the spear in my arms.

"Ouch!" I had fallen to the floor in the first strike.

When I had opened my eyes after the fall, I found myself and Keisuke surrounded by several individuals, all sons of the local samurai families. Keisuke's mother was in the crowd as well, a smirk plastered on her face as she looked at us.

"Kill them," she ordered without a hint of remorse in her voice, "kill them all!"

"Yama-No-Ten!" several pieces of debris suddenly flew from behind, striking several of the men before us.

"Kintaro? Mother?" I looked to the source to find my younger brother and mother.

"Shion, you're all right," my mother gave a sigh of relief. "I thought that..."

Mother couldn't even finish her sentence when suddenly a volley of arrows began to escape from the back ranks of the crowd. Sharpened lumber began to rain that night, its first drop landing upon my mother's arm, piercing through skin and bone. Mother cried for a moment, but instead of dropping to the floor, she took her naginata once more and began to charge into the crowd. She did not get very far however, as another struck her leg, and then her arm, and then it all became random after that. My mouth began to drop to the floor as I saw my mother still standing with my eyes beginning to melt. My lips began to quiver, but they did not cry, not until...

"MOTHER!!!!" I screamed when the final arrow had met with her skull.

"Aim for the girl next," I heard Yotoko order.

"I won't let you!" Kintaro began to run forward.

"Stop it, Kintaro!" I quickly tugged on the child's arm.

Thwip! Thwip! That was the sound of the arrows being released from their bows. Another volley began to fall upon us, all of them raining down upon us. I knew that I couldn't let my little brother die at the moment, so I pushed him to the floor and lay my body on top of his. I held him as tightly as I closed my eyes, waiting for the feel of pierced lumber. Though I had heard the sound and felt the blood, I had not felt the pain. I opened my eyes once more fearing for the worst. I thought they had gotten my brother, but...

"Keisuke...?" I called his name as his body barely hovered over ours.

The moment I called his voice, his body began to drop. His legs became flat with the ground, but my arms were able to catch the rest of him. His entire body was nearly covered in arrows and blood, all of his limbs were shaking and his eyes wide open.

"Shion...," he barely called, a stream of ruby escaping his lips as he spoke.

"Keisuke...!" my voice cracked.

"...Shion, get Keisuke out of here," my brother suddenly ordered.

"Kintaro...?"

"Do it, I...I'll hold them off."

My eyes widened again at that moment and my breath had grown short. My fingers began to ball into a fist and my teeth began to grind. There was no way I was going to have my little brother sacrifice himself for me.

"No Kintaro!" I yelled. "I won't let you do it! I won't...!"

"Do it because I said so!" he continued. "I'm the eldest male in the house, right? You have to do as I say no matter what, is that understood?!"

"...hai," I nodded.

"This isn't the end, Shion," he said, forcing a smile on his face as he spoke, "I still have to get you back for all the times you and Keisuke teased me."

"Yeah...," I began to carry myself and my lover off the floor.

"We'll meet again, someday," he smiled.

"We will, Kintaro..."

With that, I began to run carrying Keisuke on my back. I did not bother to look back, all I could hear were the sounds of arrows piercing the air and steel striking against flesh. The sounds grew dimmer with every step I took, and before they had become deaf, the sound of a boy screaming was the last thing I heard. It was then that I looked back, but by that time, I was already far outside the city.

"Shion...," my love began to speak once more.

"Keisuke, hang in there!" I ordered. "I'll get you to a doctor in the next town as soon as I can, so..."

"Put me down," he ordered, weakly.

"Nani?"

"Please..."

I did what he said without question, laying his back flat against the hill. Keisuke did not look like himself any longer, his entire body was covered in arrows and blood. Still, I could not bear to turn away from him, I continued to stand by him.

"Shion," he began to speak again, "we all know I'm not going to make it, just leave me here."

"No, I can't do that, Keisuke!" I yelled. "I can't just leave you here and let you die!"

"I'm going to die anyway, it's useless to continue to go with me," he said, his breath growing weaker with every word.

"Don't say such things, you know that...!"

"Promise me, Shion," he suddenly interrupted.

"Promise you?" I repeated, puzzled.

"Promise me you'll take down the Tokugawa Shogunate," he ordered me, "promise me that you'll destroy the samurai class, but most of all, promise me that you'll find happiness once again in life."

"Keisuke, you know I can't find happiness with another," I told him with the tears sinking down my cheeks, "you're the only one I will ever truly love..."

"You must for my sake, Shion. Do you remember what I told you whenever you cried?" his hand began to rise toward my face.

"Don't cry," I remembered, my eyes burning warmer than ever, "crying doesn't befit a woman such as yourself."

"You mustn't grieve my death for eternity, my love. Find happiness with another, and perhaps I can continue to look upon your smile once more in the afterlife," he weakly smiled. "Please, promise me..."

"...all right," I nodded, "I promise."

"I love you, Azumi Shion..."

"And I love you, Suzuka Keisuke..."

Our lips met for the final time that day. Warm, they were warm until the very end, not once did they grow cold before our mouths were released. When his lips were no longer pressed against mine, I knew then that he was dead. For the rest of the evening, I removed every arrow from his body, cleaned the blood on his skin, and then buried him in that very hill with my own hands. I did nothing but pray for him the rest of the evening until the sun rose. I took a moment to stare at it, remembering the promise I made to Keisuke the night before. With my eyes still filled with tears, but with the fire in my heart as bright as ever, I began to make my leave from Edo.

"Farewell, Keisuke," I said as I began to walk away. "Though I may find another love, I promise you this, I will never love another man as much as I had loved you..."

"Have I really found happiness with another?" I asked myself.

"Mina, your skin is so soft....," I recall one of the many times I teased her.

"Ugh! Do you always have to make a scene, Shion?" my friend would always blush.

Himura Mina, or Hitokiri Kensai as many came to know her during the war, how I love her so. Even though we had a rocky start when we first met, the truth is, I always loved her. When I first looked into her eyes, I thought I saw Keisuke again in her, those luscious lavender eyes. Mina, she was always beautiful, so shy and timid when I would flirt with her. I loved the way she would always blush when I would stroke her skin or when I would compliment her. I knew it annoyed her, but I'm sure she enjoyed it on the inside, why else did she make me her best friend during the war? Despite the good times we had, I knew her heart belonged to another.

"Brother...," she would always call in the middle of her sleep.

Mina's heart belonged to the man that took her in, the man that taught her the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Himura Kenshin. I knew I could never take Kenshin's place in her heart, nor did I have any reason to try and tear her thoughts away from him. All I really wanted for her was to be happy, and I did my best to make sure that was so. She knew how I truly felt about her, but I knew at that time she only loved me as a big sister. As long as I was in her life, I felt happy.

"When do you think this war is going to end?" I recall a conversation she had with me.

"I don't know," I answered at the time. "But let's just hope things work for the better, unlike China."

"What's going on in China?" she asked.

"Back in Edo when I was still a child, one of my father's friends was talking about the situation there," I explained. "He said they were going through somewhat of the same thing there, just that there are a lot more rebellions and a lot of British troops stationed there. Western technology is used a lot more over there he said."

"Well that sucks," Mina said, taking a sip of her sake.

"Hai, if this keeps up, the same might happen to us," I continued. "The Chinese tried to rebel against the West, only to be crushed because of the Europeans' advanced weaponry. I think my father's friend said it was called the 'Opium War.' My father's friend was really interested in Chinese culture, he even learned Chinese. Kagami Nobunaga was his name, the name of my father's friend, he was the last person to see my father alive I heard."

"Gomen nesai," Mina suddenly apologized.

"No, don't worry about it," I assured her, "it's all in the past now."

'Although I can never forget the past, I can always ease its pain thanks to you, Mina,' I thought to myself as I watched her pour another glass of alcohol.

"One more month," I assured myself, "one more month and I can finally see you again, Mina. I can finally see again at Nagoya."

By the time I was done reminiscing that day, it was already in the late afternoon. I had been depressed over the past since that morning, but remembering our promise returned a smile to my face.

"Nagoya, we will meet at Nagoya on September twenty-third, I'll stay there up to the twenty-fourth if necessary," I began to recall our promise that day.

On Shubun-No-Hi we were to meet once again. For her trip, I decided to give her a gift, a book of mine she read a lot during the Revolution, 'Crimson String and the Four Destinies.' Mina was always infatuated with that book, it always helped take her mind off the horrors of the war. I wanted to give her something else, something that meant a lot to me, but alas, I could not give it to her, instead she was the one who gave it.

It was quite a surprise what she gave me. Her arms wrapped around my waist suddenly, and her toes began to rise from the ground as her lips began to fall unto my own. The sweet taste of her mouth, I could never forget how I savored that ambrosia. Her lips, they were as soft as silk, and her body pressed against my own, it was as smooth as a baby's behind. For the first time in a long time, I truly felt like I was happy. It was then that I realized I had found my new happiness that Keisuke spoke of when he died, but that moment was not to last forever.

"Was that what you wanted?" Mina asked after we parted lips.

"Arigatou, Mina," I thanked her as I wrapped her around my arms once more.

"Don't read anything into it," she told me. "I know it meant a lot to you, so..."

"And I thank you for that, Mina," I smiled as my arms parted with her.

"I guess this is goodbye then," her lips began to straighten and her eyes watering. "Thank you for everything," she said before she vanished into the wilderness. "Goodbye, Shion..."

"Goodbye, Mina...," I said as I watched her disappear.

"Soon," I assured myself, my finger tracing down the cross-shaped scar that binds us, "soon we will meet again, Mina."

  
  


(Misanagi's POV)

  
  


Shion, she was always so carefree back then, always trying to make me smile. I'd always snap at her whenever she would try to make me happy, although I always felt like I had to apologize to her after.

It was about an hour after Shion left the dining hall, everyone else had practically left and I was all alone. Alone, that's how it always was when I was a child. I didn't care, at least that's what I kept lying to myself back then. I hated being lonely to tell you the truth, I hated the fact that no one had any good expectations of me. Being alone with my thoughts, just thinking about it almost drives me to tears, especially now in the present. But I wasn't alone at that moment, there was someone else still in the dining hall, hanging upside down from the ceiling. I put down my cup of tea gracefully on the table and looked at my uninvited guest with my eyes narrowed. He raised his eyebrow the moment our eyes met and then he left his current standstill, swerving his body around so that his feet would meet the ground. He began to approach me after, taking the seat across from me. He sat in a calm position with his arms crossed, no emotions whatsoever crossing his face. The two of us never got along back then, despite the fact that we were half siblings. I hated that man's guts, I knew he had the same passion about mine.

"She isn't strong enough," Jimmu suddenly spoke.

"And what makes you think Shion is not strong enough to take care of the Oniwaban-Shu problem?" I asked him in a sharp tone. "She is strong enough and I have confidence in her."

Jimmu laughed, "There is a certain boy... With the name Wataru that is infatuated with you who boasted about how strong you were. Look how wrong he was."

I glared at him and stood up, "What the hell do you mean by that?"

"For one, he was wrong."

"And how?" I asked, my voice laced with barely contained venom.

"You needed help to defeat that Chinese woman," He suddenly brought up.

The Chinese woman, I knew exactly who he was talking about, the woman who called herself Lu Wei Xiang. There was not an opponent I had faced previously with that style of fighting, nor power. Power, looking back at that encounter now, I realize that she was perhaps much stronger than Hitokiri Kensai, especially due to the fact that that woman was holding back when she fought both Shion and I.

"You were there?" I finally decided to speak.

"Indeed." He replied quite indifferently.

"And you didn't help us? You watched us as we fought and not once has it occurred to you that you could lend a hand?"

"The thought had occurred to me to help you, although I did not think you would want me to. After all, you are too prideful. And not to mention, it was amusing to watch you fight, halfling. It was also amusing to think that neither of you heard me as I watched the fight. I was unnoticed by any of you, including that Chinese woman that you fought." He chuckled.

"Shut up, Jimmu!"

"Your skills have gone down, Misanagi. You could not even detect me." He chuckled again, and then added, "Of course, you have never had the skills to begin with."

"Shut the hell up!" I gritted my teeth.

He laughed, "Of course, I'll leave you alone now." Without another word, he strolled off quietly out of the room.

I stared at his retreating back for quite a long while, all the time thinking back to the fight. How could I have not detected him? Not at all. I had not even suspected there would be someone else watching us. How could this be? How could I be so careless? If Xiang had a partner, they could have killed us easily...

Slowly, I sat down to think again. Within a minute, I was back on my feet again. I couldn't stand sitting down anymore, so I walked out the room and down the halls and outside. I breathed in the fresh air, hoping it'll clear my head. Fortunately, after a while, my thoughts disappeared into thin air.

I felt my hand ache for some training for the oddest reason and without myself knowing, I was already walking towards the training area. I listened to any sounds coming from around me, but all I got was my light footsteps hitting the ground and some random nature sounds.

As I stepped into the training area, the scene shocked me slightly. There on the ground was Shion in the corner, alone, tracing her cross-shaped scar. I felt myself frown.

"Soon," she said in a trance, "soon we will meet again, Mina."

"Mina?" I asked.

"Oh, Misa-chan!" Shion jumped the moment she heard my voice. "I didn't hear you come in."

"I thought I told you not to call me by that name," I sighed, crossing my arms in the process.

I lost any itch to pick up a sword at that moment, just the sight of Shion being at the scene made me feel awkward. Still, that awkwardness made me do what I did next; I sat next to Shion. My eyes began to scan the floor for a moment, occasionally turning to my toes and their twiddling. For some reason, there was a part of me that wanted to say something to Shion, anything. My mind began to scan for things to say, bringing up numerous topics and questions I could possibly ask or talk to her about. She did propose to me after all that if I ever needed to talk to anyone, she would be the one I could talk to. I finally chose a topic to talk about, but for some reason, my mouth became dry before I could ask it. I could feel my face beginning to sear at the moment and my heart beating fiercely against my rib cage, I was getting nervous at that moment, and I didn't know why. I decided to keep the topic to myself at that moment, hoping it would calm me down, but before I could forget about asking, Shion's words came.

"Is something on your mind?" she asked in a serious tone.

"...I guess you could say that," I answered uneasily. "Jimmu was there when we fought Xiang," I finally brought up the subject.

"I know," Shion answered calmly.

"Nani?! Why didn't you say anything?!" was how I reacted.

"It didn't matter at the time," she answered with a smile, "I knew he wasn't going to help nor hinder or situation, so I thought it would be pointless to acknowledge his presence."

"You like to keep a lot of things to yourself, you know that?" I grumbled.

"Like what?"

"You've been here for eight months and you still haven't told me anything!" I suddenly exploded. "Why were those Ishin Shishi chasing you back then? Just what is your connection with them? That fighting style you use, what is it exactly, it's similar to the one Hitokiri Kensai uses. And your scar, what...?"

"One question at a time, please," she interrupted with a raise of her palm.

Instead of answering my question, she turned to the naginata at her side and placed the spear's pole against her shoulder. A smile began to grow on her lips again as she sat there, her eyes closing so as if she were bringing herself into her own little world. The very sight of her sitting there ignoring my questions only infuriated me more. Instead of asking again with words, my fingers wrapped around the tanto at my side and quickly brought the blade forward. Before the steel slab could make contact with her neck, the naginata's blade suddenly fell before my weapon's path. The block had caught me by surprise, the weapon had blocked at the last instant. Shion's eyes began to open at that moment, and her smile now melted. Her mahogany pupils were narrowed for the first time and her lips no longer arched.

"If you wish to know then show me your eagerness with a sword," she spoke, her voice cold for the very first time.

Before I could say anything more, I found something suddenly pushing against my abdomen and my feet falling backward. The scenery was falling backward for a moment until I had regained my balance. My palm fell to my stomach afterward, taking hold of the bruise the pole of her naginata had inflicted. Shion's figure was nowhere to be found in the room however, at least for the first few moments. I felt a gush of wind coming from above after and the sound of steel whistling against the wind. Out of instinct I rolled to the side, my shoulder meeting with the floor for a moment before I could regain my composure. I then looked back to where I had been previously standing to find my opponent landing perfectly on the floor. Within the blink of an eye, her left arm swung to the side and the image of a shimmering object fell before my eye. My head then swerved to the side to avoid the incoming weapon, but my right hand quickly raised itself upward a moment after its blade passed so that it could wrap around it's hilt. She had thrown me a ninja-to and upon closer inspection, it didn't look like she threw it so that she could injure me.

"Oh dear, I'm still a bit rusty after all those months of recovering," she began to boast, "please forgive me if I don't knock you out within two seconds, ah ha ha ha ha!"

Just the sound of her boasting made my blood boil, there was no way I was going to take this. Out of rage I was the one to make the first move this time. My sword's blade took the lead of my charge, piercing the atmosphere with ease. Again my weapon was aimed perfectly, this time aiming for her shoulder. Just like the first time, her figure disappeared before my eyes before the hit could register, but unlike the last time, I was able to find a flash of mahogany circling behind me. With a quick turn of my arm, my blade met with hers before she could counter. Clang! The two steel slabs met for a mere second before they sliced through the air once more. Again they crashed, and then a third. Right and left, up and down, wherever I swung, I struck nothing but her naginata. Each swing was faster than the last but not once did either of our blades strike flesh nor fabric. Finally we both decided to jump away from each other so that we may regain each other's composure.

'She's good,' I thought to myself as I tried to recover my breath, 'just as good as Kensai.'

My brow was covered with sweat and my breath heavy. My muscles were beginning to ache and my blood still boiling, but despite my condition, Shion had still not broken a sweat. Instead, she stood there calmly with her naginata at her side, the blade parallel with the ground. Something wasn't right, I could easily tell at that moment. The look on her face, it was as if she wasn't taking this fight seriously. Regardless, I knew the next move was going to end the battle.

My legs began to sink further into the ground and my sword's blade pointing toward the floor at an angle with the guard touching the bottom of my pinky. My left hand drifted toward my cheek, stopping inches away with my fingers open. Shion then began to move, her naginata at her side but her right hand resting above it. The next thing I knew, I found her image growing larger, growing with every step we took as we dashed toward on another. The air began stinging my face as her pupils met with mine and my arm began swinging forward. Her right hand began to reach for her weapon after, and in that moment, both of our weapons rose. A gust filled the entire hall as our weapons swung and our legs suddenly came to a halt. My blade was already meeting with my opponent's neck but at the same time I could feel Death's cold steel kiss barely touching my throat.

"Not bad," Shion was the first to break the silence, returning her lips to their usual position.

"You're pretty good yourself," I complimented.

'Damn,' I thought to myself afterward, 'she's good, perhaps even more so than Kensai. If this fight had gone on, I would've...'

  
  


(Shion's POV)

  
  


'Not bad,' I thought to myself as we began to pull our weapons away from each other's throats, 'I wasn't serious, but...'

"I've done what you asked," the ninja returned to her usual stoic self immediately after, "now answer my question, why are the Ishin Shishi after you?"

"Very well, a deal's a deal," I sighed. "The truth is that I once worked for them."

"I'm guessing you're one of the few ex-hitokiri survivors," she asked. "I've heard about the movement shortly after the Ishin Shishi had taken over the government, it's pretty obvious that you had been some sort of assassin with your skills."

"Hai, I am one of those survivors," I nodded, my eyes turning to the floor, "to my knowledge, there is only one other. Her name is Hi...," my words quickly came to a stop before I could say the rest of her name.

I had just remembered at that moment what Mina's alternate persona had to Misanagi back then. I knew that if Misanagi were to find out that Mina was still alive, she would not rest until she had hunted her down. I wanted to protect Mina back then, and I still do, but then there was also Misanagi whom I would also give my life to protect. Both women had saved my life at one point, and I owed both a favor, but I also... I also...

"It's her, isn't it?!" the shinobi began to fume once again.

Silence was the reply I gave her, trying to keep my cool as her nails dug into her palms with the fist she made. I heard her teeth beginning to brush against each other at that moment, her eyes narrowing once more and her entire body beginning to quiver.

"Tell me," she began to order, "tell me where Kensai is!"

Again I answered with silence, but this time my response was returned with another action. The blade in her hand suddenly swung forward, its tip barely stopping at the base of my neck. I had not moved an inch the moment her blade stopped at my throat, nor did I bring my breathing to a halt. Instead, I simply stood there, with my arms at my side with my weapon touching the floor. Her sword began to inch closer, the blade's edge moving toward my neck while the tip slid to the east, barely gliding against the air before my neck. Again I did nothing, simply waiting for her to strike.

"Well, say something!" she spat moments later.

"I do not know where she is at the moment," I answered calmly, "nor do I have any intention of telling you if I did know."

"Do you realize the situation you're in?" Misanagi seethed. "You're at Death's door, and I know that you plan on meeting her again somewhere. So tell me, where do you plan on meeting her?!"

"You won't do it," I said, closing my eyes as I brushed her blade away with the back of my hand, "I know those eyes, they're just like hers back then."

"Are you mocking me?!"

"I'm not mocking you, I just know your conscience won't allow you to kill me, possibly because I have some sort of use, or possibly because..."

"Shut up!"

The edge of her blade began slicing the air once more, and like the time before, I did nothing to retaliate. Just as I had predicted, her sword had stopped again before it could touch an inch of my flesh.

"I knew you couldn't do it," I smirked, "in the state you're currently in, you can't defeat her," I said as I began to take my leave.

"Is this how you repay after me after all I've done for you?!" her yelling brought me to a stop. "Think about it, Shion, I could've let you die out there two months ago. Seeing the situation that you were in, there would be no chance that you would have survived if I hadn't come along. That Ishin Shishi patrol would've found you and do you know what they would've done to you?! I bet they would've ravaged you on the spot," a jolt suddenly shot up my system with her last sentence. "Yeah, that's what they would've done, over and over again, gagging your pleads with their mouths or genitals, clawing against your chest and abdomen, their fingers rubbing against..."

"Stop it!" I yelled, bringing my hands to my ears and my knees falling to the floor. "Stop it, please stop..."

The memories of what happened that night were beginning to flood back into my mind at that moment. The brush of their nails and fingers, the unwelcome touching, the smell of their forms, everything, it just... No, I don't want to say it, I don't want to recall what happened, even now I can't...

Her words came to a sudden halt after my pleads, the only thing that echoed throughout the hall at that moment were the sounds of my sobs and whimpers. I found myself lying on the floor at that moment, my arms wrapped tightly around my legs and my tears drenching my cheeks and the floor. So pitiful I was back then, and even so now, just the thought of it brings me to tears.

"Gomen nesai," the ninja suddenly apologized, "I went too far."

"Please, just stop it...," I cried, "I'll do anything you want, just don't..."

"...where do you plan on meeting her?" she asked after a moment of hesitation.

"Nagoya," I answered between my cries, "Nagoya, on Shubun-No-Hi."

"I see," she said after.

With that, she began to leave the hall, but not without muttering a few words to herself as she left.

"God I'm such a horrible person," were the words she said to herself, "if anyone is to go through that, it should've been me."

The entire hall was quiet again at that moment, and I was still laying there on the floor curled into a ball. The tears would still not cease, not would be whimpers be silenced. An eternity seemed to have passed as I laid there crying, but the next thing I knew in reality, a hand had fallen upon my shoulder a second later. The touch was warm and welcoming, as were the eyes of its owner. For the first time, Misanagi had removed the stoic mask from her face, instead replacing it with a look of worry.

"I really am very sorry," she apologized again. "Come on, let's go to the village for a bit, let me buy you some tea and dinner to make up for what I said."

"Hai, that would be nice," my tears began to dry at that moment.

I never wanted to tell Misanagi where Mina and I were to meet, but I always believed myself to be strong with the sword (or rather spear) but weak in the mind. Still, if Misanagi had not done what she did that day, I would have never seen this softer side. Even so, I knew that Misanagi would confront Mina that day and that she had no intention of backing down. Misanagi and Mina, both were women who saved my life and whom I loved, and even now, I can't decide between the two.

  
  


Chapter 4 Liner Notes

  
  


Shizaku Kazuya, Rikumari Gonji, Tachibana, these names sound familiar, where might I have heard them?- If you read the second chapter of "Crimson String Book II: Siblings of the Sword," then you probably remember that Shizaku Kazuya was the name of Ryosuke's father. As you can see, Shion's family has some connection to Ryosuke's, as well as Rikumari Gonji, who was mentioned to be one of Mina's followers in the prologues of both "Crimson String" books. We will meet Gonji once again later in both this story and "Crimson String Book II: Siblings of the Sword" as he will be a link to the overall conflict later on. As for the Tachibana family, it is true that Tachibana is Mina's true family name, but whether or not she is a part of this family will not be revealed yet. The family name "Tachibana" is usually given to powerful heroic samurai in many tales and books, but a majority of the time, these members also suffer from an incurable disease (or at least incurable back then), in most cases, they suffer from tuberculosis (Tachibana Ukyo from the "Samurai Showdown" video game series is an excellent example).

  
  


What are the "black sails" that Shion's father mentioned?- The black sails are what the Japanese referred to the American ships that landed in Japan's harbors in 1850. These ships were lead by Matthew Perry (I believe he was a naval captain [not the same Matthew Perry who plays Chandler on Friends]), basically Perry ordered Japan (along with several other Oriental countries) to open up their borders to foreigners for trading otherwise they will attack. China refused to give in, and they were easily defeated by the Western countries due to their superior technology (i.e. guns and cannons). Japan decided to give in, and this action is what started the entire Meiji Revolution.

  
  


Why does Shion have to obey Kintaro when he orders her to leave?- It is Japanese custom that the eldest male is the head of the house when the father (or whomever is the male head of the house) is away. So even if the eldest child is a girl, she must still take orders from her younger brother without question.

  
  


What's the Opium War?- The Opium War was the first Chinese and Western conflict, it lasted for 1839 to 1842. The war was not just about stopping opium, but also stopping Westernization altogether, it obviously failed. Lu Wei Xiang, who was introduced in the last chapter, is a victim of this war, details will be given later on.

  
  


Next time: "I'm such a horrible person; returning her to memories no one should be allowed to experience and then taking advantage of her afterward. Even more pathetic, I send her in first for my own personal ambitions, for my own revenge. I send her to help me kill her best friend, and that's not all, I send her to relive the nightmare that is her memory once more. Shion, I'm so very sorry..." -Misanagi the Flying Arrow

  
  


XenoMark's Note: Well, I guess we're kinda rusty after not having written this fic in a while. Tell us what you think with a review, but no flames as usual. It might take me a while to get back to the same level I was back when I wrote "Crimson String Book I," but I guarantee that this tale will become just as (if not more) dark than "Crimson String Book I." Well that's it for now, later people.

  
  


Crystal's Note: Once again, Happy New Year and I hoped you all enjoyed it.


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